Lonely Eyes and Pickup Lines
by KeepingDaksAmari
Summary: Modern AU. Korrasami. Some others. First time writing for LoK and I'm so not good at summaries but there's songs and pickup lines in the story somewhere...I think. Yes. Enjoy!
1. Green vs Blue

**Disclaimer: I own abso-nothing.**

* * *

I slumped lazily over the counter top, covering an enormous yawn with my bare sore arms. Training with Tenzin had been no less painful...ly boring than it was that afternoon. Although, my body wasn't sore from drills, or fighting stances, or fighting styles, but from _meditating_ all morning. I shuddered thinking about that Lotus position. Seriously, d _id Bruce Lee do all that 'free your mind so you find a sensible balance' kinda deal before becoming the master? Meditation is like sleeping isn't it? Besides, it's boxing! I simply box. It's not like I'm trying to earn a black belt in Karate or something._

(Clearly my brain was not functioning like it should have been at the moment. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up _here_ in the first place.)

 _'Tuesday night crowded bar. Some guy lights a cheap cigar._

 _Bartender yells at him, so he walks out and you walk in.'_

My lip jutted out in the form of a brooding pout as I tried to remember when Bolin had actually told me to meet him. _Was it during his break, or when he was off work?_ Or worse, _where_ I was supposed to meet him. _He said Tahno's Lounge...or was it Narook's? At the studio? Sweet Sake, I don't remember!_ I growled under my breath and pushed a hand through my short locks, deciding to probably move on lest I miss out on his newest pickup lines for that... _odd_ woman, Ginger. _My best buddy deserves better than that shallow woman, perhaps I could introduce him to Opal sometimes._

Nodding in silent affirmation to myself, I turned in my chair and began to dig around in my bag for my wallet when I heard a slight commotion toward the entrance of the building.

 _'Right through that cloud of smoke. Catcalls and dirty jokes._

 _Scan the room a couple times, find a seat next to mine.'_

I held in a sigh, having heard some jerk slur _'whose that laaady?'_ brought my eyes up to the source the drunk men's attention. _I swear, these idiots and be sooo-_

And promptly dropped my bag.

I first noticed the black, half cut blazer that was trimmed with a deep burgundy. It clung nicely and showed off her feminine curves. _Nobody really wears those...well, wears blazers AND manages to look good in them._ Then the red undershirt, dark red skirt and _those boots_. She was pretty tall too, filling out her clothes perfectly and thus grabbing nearly everyone's attention. (Mine was no exception.) There was a gentle sway in her slow steps, a sort of confidence that even seemed to betray her slightly slumped shoulders and when she emerged from the smoky entrance, I could see silky raven black tresses that spilled over her shoulders in long flowing waves. It left me completely slack-jawed.

 _Whoa, she's-_ I slapped myself mentally and hastily reached down to snatch my bag back up so I could do what I'd set out to do in the first place. _Which was?_ My hand froze mid-paw. _Genius._

"Would you like that on Mako's tab?" The bartender dragged me from my slow functioning brain and limbs just as whoever it was that I'd been staring at, came to occupy the seat next to me. (Of course I hadn't realized it just yet.)

"Mako?" I asked blankly before clearing my throat awkwardly. "I mean, no. I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it if I used it without his permission." I tried to shrug nonchalantly, but the nervous chuckle that barked from my throat had me coughing into my fist just as awkwardly. _Is it hot in here or is it just me-?_ Another noise had me looking over toward the door and that was when I finally noticed her beside me.

 _'Lonely eyes._

 _Well it sure looks like you might be looking for something_

 _For something, whoa_

 _Look at me and I think you'll see_

 _Those lonely eyes don't have to be alone tonight.'_

I gulped thickly, thankful I hadn't so much as touched my water, otherwise I was sure I'd sputter like a fool for no apparent reason. No...I had a _very_ good reason and that reason was sitting right next to me. Of course I chose to shut my trap and tried to settle down by drinking the water I'd eventually have to pay for. I couldn't believe he'd charged me for water! _New guy definitely._

"Did you just come out of the oven? 'Cause you're hot." A random guy said from the other side of the girl next to me, grabbing my attention more than hers. _Not that original._ I inwardly snorted at the lame attempt. _I would have asked: 'Do you have a Band Aid? 'cause I scraped my knee falling for you.'_

"Baby, I'm no Fred Flintstone, but I can make your bedrock." Another one said as he passed by. _Ooo...I might have to use that one sometime._ I thought in amusement. _Though I'd go with: 'Damn, if being sexy was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged.'_

"Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk by again?" _Ah...I've heard that one._ By now I was grinning like an idiot. _Mine would be: 'Smoking is hazardous to your health...and baby, you're killing me!'_ I had to drink some more water before I either said one of the lines I was thinking, or I choked on my saliva. Both would _not_ work in my favor. (Not that I was hoping they would.)

 _'They analyze your glass of wine, roll away a pickup line._

 _Now and then they check your phone. Catch mine and let 'em go._

 _From the little bit I've seen, they're the perfect shade of green._

 _Next time they come my way, heaven help me make 'em stay.'_

A brilliant green so to say. Like a cat's, and no less sharp and utterly charming on their own. I had never seen such pretty eyes before in my life! She was hard _not_ to ogle, yet every time I got caught looking at her, I shot my eyes elsewhere. _Wow, she probably thinks I'm insane by now._ Using my peripheral vision, I noticed her glancing at her phone once again. She blew out a harsh breath before semi-angrily shoving the poor device back into her pocket. _She must be-_

A weight leaned heavily on my right shoulder, cutting off my thought and before he spoke, I could _smell_ the whiskey prominent on his breath. "Hey girl, if you were a booger, I'd pick you first." This time, the line was directed at me and I had no choice but to spit out my water to laugh, letting out an unladylike snort in the process. _Holy cow that is original!_

I pushed the guy away from me and made him stumble into another couple who wasted no time in shoving him back until he was escorted outside. I ended up sloppily wiping my mouth, silently praying that no water had shot out of my nose during my little laughing fit and if it hadn't been for the mirror behind the bar, I would have completely missed the slight shuddering of the other girl's shoulders. Not to mention the quiet little giggles that escaped as well.

All at my expense.

 _'Lonely eyes._

 _Well it sure looks like you might be looking for something_

 _For something, whoa_

 _Look at me and I think you'll see_

 _Those lonely eyes don't have to be alone tonight.'_

"I swear, that has _got_ to be the best line I've heard so far." I commented without thinking, chuckling as well. When I realized I'd said it out loud, the bartender was nowhere to be seen and there was also no one sitting beside me except _her._ My hand automatically moved to scratch the back of my neck self-consciously and when I reached for my drink...it was also gone. _Good job Korra. Very smooth._ Again I coughed, noting that she had glanced at me once more and I hurriedly began to dig around for my wallet again. _I think I've overstayed my visit...besides, who comes to a bar to drink water?_ _By now, I'm pretty sure Bolin was talking about meeting at Narook's._

"I'm surprised _you_ haven't tried hitting on me." Her voice was low and a bit raspy. Sexy even and once I heard it, my grip tightened on my wallet, causing me to yank it out of my bag. My fingers turned to butter and I fiddled with it the stupid thing until I gave up and smashed it into the counter top, successfully making it stop trying to flop on the floor to embarrass me further.

Unconsciously, I pointed at myself. "What? Me?" I suddenly felt a blush creep up my neck before it settled on my cheeks.

"After each horrible line, I could tell when you make this-" the dark haired beauty wrinkled her perfect nose in a mock impersonation of me, which I found insanely _d'awww-!_ worthy. "little uninterested face that tells me you were critiquing them, not to mention thinking of a different way to word them." She paused as a glimmer of a smirk curved her full ruby lips. "Until that last one of course."

 _Okay, she got me on more points than one!_ "Uh, well, you know-" I rubbed the tip of my nose nervously, seeing as she'd picked up on all of that right away. _Did I mention you were a genius Korra? 'Maybe, but_ s _he's...actually taking to me!'_ "I..." I _had_ to drop the inner dialogue! So I straightened up a bit and met her hypnotizing green gaze head-on. "alright, you have to admit that that last one was pretty epic." Another chuckle left my mouth unbidden.

"Try me." She finally turned all the way to me and only then did I see just how incredibly _gorgeous_ she was. She had smooth ivory skin with a stunning heart-shaped face that was framed with her wavy, thick onyx colored hair, inviting full lips that were now a tasty cherry red and sweet bison _those eyes!_ I suppressed a goofy googly-eyed grin, suddenly remembering that she'd told me something. To _do_ something, rather.

 _'Don't make me pay my tab. Catch a cab._

 _Go home and kick myself to sleep tonight._

 _Give me a sign.'_

I said the first one that popped into my head. "If this bar is a meat market, you must be the prime rib."

 _'Just a smile.'_

As a delicate brow slowly began to rise along her forehead, I felt my signature lopsided grin form across the side of my face, turning slightly smug. "See my friend over there?" I jabbed my thumb to the bartender, who waltzed past us to attend to someone else (not even sparing a glance our way) before looking back at her. "He wants to know if you think _I'm_ cute."

This time a light giggle passed her lips.

 _'Baby, I'll lose myself deep inside.'_

"You'd better direct that beauty somewhere else, you'll set me on fire." By now, I felt just a little more confident because she had taken to grinning. She sipped at her drink, silently prompting me to continue with another soft giggle. "I don't know if you're beautiful, I haven't gotten past your eyes."

 _'Lonely eyes.'_

A genuine smile brightened her face with that one. It touched her eyes and while I didn't know what kind of day she had, I suddenly felt more accomplished than I had been after all those boring meditation sessions.

 _'Lonely eyes._

 _Well it sure looks like you might be looking for something_

 _For something, whoa_

 _Look at me and I think you'll see_

 _Those lonely eyes don't have to be alone tonight._

 _Lonely eyes, you don't have to be alone tonight.'_

By then she was covering her mouth and downright laughing at the next few lines I spouted out, having not realized I could be so corny. _What can I say? I'm a sucker for those sort of things._ And I was. I usually got the biggest laughs out of the driest jokes known to mankind. Though, I could probably blame Mako and Bolin for knowing and remembering most of those lines. Unlike Mako (who needed to write them down) Bolin and I kept each other fresh by relaying a new one almost every time we saw each other.

"I'm Asami by the way." The pretty woman formally introduced herself by holding a hand out for me to shake, but since I was already on a roll, I confidently gasped her hand and again said the first thing that came to mind.

"People call me Korra, but you can call me tonight." I knew I'd messed up as soon as it left my mouth as she straightened a little further with heavy amusement in those beautiful eyes. "I-I mean- I wasn't implying-" _dear Appa, what the heck is wrong with me?_!

"They say dating is a numbers game," She suddenly smirked at me, making my stomach flutter uncontrollably when she turned my palm over and grabbed the pen that I hadn't noticed was sitting on my bill. _When did-?_ "So can I get your number, Korra?" She asked, even as she wrote her own number down on my palm.

 _Oh._ I gulped, fearing the blush on my face was now going to be permanent... if that last statement was anything to go by.

* * *

 _A/N: Song inspiration: Lonely Eyes by. Chris Young. (I own nothing.)_

 _Yo...Feisty here. I'm only experimenting with Korrasami, seeing as I haven't done anything for them so if they're kinda OOC...*hums and shrugs* aw well. Those pickup lines though :3_

 _Oh and thanks for reading too!_


	2. Oh Bo!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Bolin.**

 _'Be kind when you rewind the story of the two of us._

 _Sometimes you wish it was a little more mysterious._

 _When you look at me with your cinematic eyes_

 _I wanna play the part but I forget the lines.'_

"KORRAAA!" I yanked the door open with all my might. Ignoring the groaning of the door hinges, my eyes frantically searched the apartment. _Where is she? I know she's here!_

"Bolin!" She burst through the door of her room and hastily sprinted toward me, grabbing my shirt in such desperation that it only aided in my growing panic too.

 _"You have to help me!"_ We yelled in the same instant.

"Me first-" Her wide shiny blue eyes darted to each of mine, "Okay, so I thought you were talking about us meeting up at Tahno's lounge, so that's where I was. Then there was some woman that-"

"No! Wait!" I couldn't take it as a frightening feeling clawed at my stomach. Like _she_ was in the same room as us. "You have _got_ to rescue me from your cold-hearted cousin!" I lamented, virtually clamping my hand over Korra's mouth to keep her from saying anything more. "She asked me to marry her!"

"I- wait," her brow rose to the top of her head. "Eska? What'd you say?"

"What _could_ I say!?" I wailed, shaking her shoulders hard enough to mess up her already tousled brown locks. I hadn't said anything. I actually sort of ditched her, but I wasn't about to tell Korra that. Said girl pulled back so she could slap some sense into me.

"Uh, how's about _no_ for once?" She glared at me and brushed her shoulders off, straightening her shirt out once more. "Besides, I thought you had Ginger under your thumb? You should know a crazy girl when you see one." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I-I don't mean to imply Es-"

" _You_ know I don't have that fifth sense!" I let out an exaggerated growl, clenching both hands into my hair after firmly rubbing my sore cheek. _Didn't have to hit me._ I couldn't help but give her a feeble polarbear dog look, complete with my lower lip sticking out. "Help me?" I squeaked.

 _'I do it all the time._

 _I never get it right.'_

Korra's hostile stance faltered at my downtrodden look until she finally threw up her hands. "You're hopeless Bo."

"You mean, a hopeless _romantic?"_ I clamped my own mouth shut when she threatened to slap me again and that's when I noticed the scribbling on her palm. _Notes? Did Tenzin gove her another quiz? Nah, it actually looks like-_

"Let's go you big dork." She shrugged it off and hauled me back out of the door, grabbing her wallet and keys on the way out.

 _'One day when you replay the slideshow we know_

 _Pictures won't show villains and heroes_

 _It's just me keeping time with you_

 _Butter knife dull, but it still cuts through.'_

Korra ended up tossing me onto the back of her motorcycle and I about lost my cool when she broke the speed limit and began to weave recklessly through traffic. _AAAH-I hate when she does this!_ My arms instinctively clenched around her slim yet muscular boxer waist and I nearly toppled off backwards when she punched my forearms, yelling at me to _ease up_ after I nearly bruised her ribs.

"Sorry!" I yelled too close to her ear, making her headbutt me. "And stop hurting me!" I grumbled as I rubbed my now sore forehead. _Where is she taking me anyway?_

' _We never were_

 _We'll never be.'_

Once we stopped at Korra's intended destination, the seemingly giddy girl yanked me off of my seat and hurridly dragged me inside some building. Seriously, I was still trying to will my brain and stomach to catch up with me after we'd lost it somewhere along the interstate.

"I'm here!" Korra yelled as soon as she pushed the door open.

"Yeah, yeah." A grumpy voice called out and when Korra suddenly ducked, I barely had time to glance to the side as something hard connected with my head. A surprised noise wrenched from my mouth, making my friend chortle but I had no time to retort when the voice barked once more. "I'm _blind,_ not deaf. Now keep it down!"

"Ow- what happened? What'd I do?" I asked blankly, wondering why everyone had decided that today was 'hit Bolin with whatever you got' day as I glumy rubbed my head. Korra patted my shoulder sympathetically (like she cared at the moment) before reaching down to pick up the object that had assaulted my gorgeous head. _A...sandal?_ She playfully smacked me with it again and I tried to glower at her when there was another presence behind us.

"I am so sorry, grandma Toph wanted to start her world trip early, but her flight was cancelled, and since she-" A soft feminine voice called just before my buddy could do that odd snort-laugh thing of hers at my bad fortune, or before I could give her a well deserved noogie.

"I figured something like that would happen. Which is exactly why I came to wish her farewell properly." Korra answered confidently, quickly paying me no mind and handing me the sandal. _What am I supposed to do with it?_ "Oh, and I brought Bolin with me." She added nonchalantly, tugging me forward and practically shoved me into whoever it was that had joined us in the foyer. (I was still trying to figure out just _where_ we were and what I was supposed to do with that dang sandle.) But as I caught myself, I found my eyes crashing into a very pretty pair of equally bright green shy eyes. "Bo, this is Opal." Korra dug her elbow into my side but I hardly felt it because I was too busy staring.

"Hi, Bolin." An awkward little quirk of her pretty lips made my heart stutter. "I'm Opal-" She cleared her throat as a small blush slowly spread across her face. "Oh, but...you already knew that." She giggled and I swear it was the _sweetest,_ cutest, most adorablest thing I'd ever seen!

 _'Strangers kissing in the pouring rain_

 _Chasing after your leaving train_

 _But we know that's not how our song goes._

 _Oh.'_

It had to be love at first sight. Suddenly, I didn't remember who I was running from earlier or who I'd been running to presently. _Ginger? Eska?_ All I saw were those insanely gentle emerald orbs that instantly wrapped around me and promised everything would probably be alright if I decided to do something. _Say_ something, if anything. _Uhh..what?_

I felt my throat dry up.

 _'You're a waitress in a cocktail bar_

 _And I'll save you 'cause I'm a big rock star_

 _But we know that's not how our song goes._

 _It goes like this:'_

Korra directed a very sly grin in my direction, but a harsh clearing of another's throat drew all of our attention to the shorter, older person in the doorway.

"Hi Toph." Korra was the first to speak, though she made _no_ attempt to move any closer to the woman. The woman had grey hair with heavy wisps clouding her vision, which only served to make her that much more formiddable. But as I zoomed in somewhat, I could see that her eyes were paled and glazed over. _Wait...what was her name? Toph? As in..._

"Give me that." She appeared in front of me and snatched the sandal from my grasp. "Don't you know you're not supposed to take things that belong to you?"

"Toph? Toph Beifong?" I whispered, suddenly forgetting about the sandal as I grabbed her old, yet strong shoulders. Her brow rose when I turned to Korra. "It's Toph Beifong." I whispered a little more loudly.

"What's wrong with you?" Toph snapped and instantly pushed my face away, but I was too star-struck to really care as I barely held back a happy dance.

"You're my hero! My name's Bolin. You used to be Chief of Police back in the day- you're my hero- oh, I said that. Can I have your autograph?" I beamed at her like a ten-year old at Christmas. Korra chuckled somewhere behind me.

"Get lost." The woman waved a dismissive hand while walking back out of the foyer. Again, Korra placed a hand on my shoulder and I was brought back down to earth by the cute little giggles of the short haired girl on the other side of me. _Nothing_ could have ruined my mood at the moment. I mean, I got hit with Toph's sandal!

 _'You didn't like my friends and your mom didn't trust me._

 _I thought I was slick, but my moves were rusty._

 _Bought you a twelve pack, promised you sushi._

 _Sorry if I wasn't straight out of a movie.'_

"Wow, you're really... _blowing_ my mind with your-" I had been leaning casually against the doorway when out of nowhere my collar tightened and I was being dragged away from a very confused Opal.

"Hey, hi, remember me?" Korra's blue eyes pierced into mine, making me unconsciously gulp. Her brow rose and I nodded frantically. "You do those weird things with _Korra._ " She rolled her eyes at me. "Opal isn't some sort of-" She thought about it and rubbed her cheek. "Well, she's not Eska."

"Mmhmm, and I like that about her." I said dreamily while glancing back at said girl.

"Yeah...I think you need to stop trying." Korra stated bluntly. As she pinched the bridge of her nose, I got another look at what was scribbled on her hand. _A number?_

"I mean, don't _stop_ trying," Opal joined us once more. "Just try and be yourself." She placed her hand lightly on my shoulder and I turned my attention back to her.

"Myself?" I asked, seeing a small glimmer of hope in those beautiful eyes.

 _'We never were._

 _We'll never be_

 _Strangers kissing in the rain._

 _Chasing after your leaving train._

 _But we know that's not how our song goes._

 _Oh._

 _You're a waitress at a cocktail bar. And I'll save you because I'm a big rock star._

 _But we know that's not how our song goes.'_

Opal handed me a bottle of water before giving me that shy smile and then sitting across from me. Korra's blue eyes brightened when Opal handed her a bottle as well. Turns out that _Grandma Toph_ didn't mind the extra noise for the time being and invited us to stay just a bit longer. (Though she made it very clear to leave her alone.)

"So, uh-" I cleared my throat, gaining their attention. "How do you two know each other?"

"We have a few classes together." Korra shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

"And Korra helps me with Grandma Toph more often than not. Especially since my mom is on a business trip." Opal put in.

"That explains how you know her." I nodded halfheartedly. Even though I wanted deeper details, mostly every single detail of the pretty woman, something else was starting to bother me. "Hey Korra, is that someone's number on your palm?"

The question made my friend choke on her water, surprising Opal and I, but before either of us could do or say anything, Korra shot up and dashed for the door. "Shoot, I completely forgot! I'll be right-" _cough, hack, cough_ "right back!"

Opal and I exchanged confused glances.

 _'It_

 _Be kind when you rewind the story of the two of us_

 _Sometimes you wish it was a little more mysterious_

 _When you look at me with your cinematic eyes_

 _I wanna play the part, but I'm messing up the lines.'_

It was awkward. I was awkward. My eyes darted to her and then shot a different direction when she looked back at me. _C'mon Bo. This isn't the first girl you've spoken to. Be smoove with your words- NO! Act natural. Natural. Yes, I can do that-_

A large burp suddenly ripped from my throat, causing me to clap a hand over my mouth. As embarrassed as I was about the outburst, I quickly tried to save face by asking a question. "Do you like kale?" Opal tilted her head with a slightly confused smile, though she was polite enough _not_ to laugh at me.

I ended up burying my face in my hands, willing the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

 _'We never were._

 _We'll never be._

 _Strangers kissing in the pouring rain._

 _Chasing after your leaving train._

 _But we know that's not how our song goes._

 _Oh_

 _You're a waitress in a cocktail bar_

 _And I'll save you because I'm a big rockstar._

 _But we know that's not how our song goes.'_

Korra came back with a light flush on her dark cheeks and took one look at the horrific scene before her. "Oh no, he didn't torture you with cheesy pickup lines did he?" She looked from a blushing Opal to my defeated state. _Maybe that would have been less painful._ I thought peeking at the other girl, noting the small smirk playing on her lips.

"No. He was-" while she searched for the right words, I shook my head and mouthed nothing in particular to my friend. Though the action only made her smug grin grow scross the side of her face as her eyes narrowed playfully. An unspoken teasing air grew between us, letting me know that she wasn't going to let me live this down. Opal didn't have time to finish her thought.

"Well, that's _awfully_ like Bolin. He can be a little rough around the edges, but he's got the biggest heart I've ever seen." Korra grinned. Not before mumbling under her breath about me also being about as dumb as rocks sometimes. _Ouch._

Opal giggled, standing at the same time Korra walked over to her in order to bid her farewell and only then did it click in my head that we were about to leave. I stood too, brushing off my clothes before straightening my shirt and then sliding over to them to face my demise. _If I'm gonna go down...may as well have some dignity._

"Alright, Bo. I dare you to hit her with your best line." Korra cut in, playfully shoving my shoulder and I sputtered.

"What? But you said-"

"You do, or I will." She stated challengingly. I snorted in amusement. _What's with this attitude?_

"I'm...going to go with, no? But go ahead, be my guest." _Be yourself. Yourself._ I gestured between them and when Korra's grin didn't falter, I raised a curious brow.

She held up the keys to her bike in front of Opal. "See these keys?" She asked serenely. Opal had been smiling, but when Korra started, her smile a bit more. "I wish I had the one to your heart."

"Aww-!" Opal chuckled cutely and pulled Korra in for another hug. I narrowed my eyes, trying to hide my slightly bruised ego at my best friend's suave. _She's just smoother because she's a boxer._

"Is that what you used on the one who gave you that number?" I asked smugly, inwardly cackling when Korra's face flushed once more. She glared at me, but before she could say anything, Opal turned back around and fixed me with a wickedly sweet smile. Again, my head emptied from the force of it.

"That's okay Bolin." She pulled out her phone, prompting me to get my own out. When I didn't, Korra stepped in and grabbed it for me and while I tried to get my mind to function, they exchanged our numbers.

 _'It goes like this.'_

Korra gave me her signature crooked grin as she put my phone back in her pocket, patting it before waving at Toph and then she was walking to the exit. My joints came to life when Opal gently cleared her throat, gaining my attention once more.

 _'It goes like this.'_

"Don't worry," She lightly bumped my shoulder with hers. "We'll always have kale."

* * *

 _A/N: Song Inspiration: Our Song by. The Spill Canvas._

 _So I was going about my daily business when Bolin's voice suddenly entered my head. Specifically when he was calling Korra's name...so I think some sort of inspiration struck at that point. Anyway, thank you for reading! ^_^_


	3. Are you date-ish?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _A/N: drop the songs then? Okay, we'll see how this one goes ;)_

* * *

 **Korra**

I readjusted my loose shirt for the thousandth time after a sudden breeze decided to mess up my semi-calm appearance again. On the inside, I was a nervous wreck and I had to fight the urge to rip my clothes off and go diving into the ocean in order to calm down. _Oh get over yourself, Korra._ I took another sip of my fire water. Normally, I took it easy with drinking in the afternoon, but since I was to meet my... _date_ at the beach, it was decided that I needed the little boost of courage. _Sucker. And you call Bolin hopeless._ I bit back a self-depreciating chuckle and finished off my small glass like it would kick in right away.

Once my stomach felt slightly warmer, I found my gaze lazily turning toward the active beach to the massive expanse of seawater. The waves were nice and calm close to where the shallow water was, but further out, they looked restless and perfect for surfing. While I wondered why I didn't bring my own surf board, something flew across the side of my vision and I noticed that a volleyball net had been set up, complete with two teams already battling it out. More people were also doing a thing where they'd run and skim their smaller boogie boards along the tips of the shoreline. Whatever it was, looked like a ton of fun.

"How long have you been waiting?" A low sultry voice suddenly drew my attention from the water and back to the bar.

"Only _all_ my life." I stated confidently when I realized who the voice belonged to, though instead of looking at her right away, I decided to order two more drinks that I hoped she wouldn't mind (considering that I'd never really bought a drink for a girl before.) Luckily enough, I got my desired effect right after I said that line and it caused a goofy grin to smear across the side of my face. Asami's laugh was absolute music to my ears, so that was a major bonus.

"Glad you made it... _Avatar_ Korra." There was a certain lilt in her voice that I found wholly attractive.

Still my grin faltered. _Ah._

Her teasing tone was still prominent, causing me to finally turn my eyes to my much welcomed company. Of course when I craned my neck upwards, my jaw instantly dropped back down to the floor and sent my stomach stumbling over itself along with my poor heart. _Mouth...suddenly...so dry..._ I thought weakly as my eyes followed my jaw and fell to her cute bared toes that had been peeking out of a nice pair of sandals. Asami had on a black outlined, crimson red skirt that was tied loosely around her gorgeous hips, those intense long legs shifted and I got just a lick of the creamy skin of her muscular thigh. Higher up, my eyes slowly dragged along her beautifully toned stomach, grinding past the bump of her ribs until I reached the swell of her breasts that were covered by a measly, if not, _annoying_ piece of dark red and white bra... _swim bra kind of thing that I can definitely untie with my teeth-_

Mercifully, my eyes managed to drag away from those tasty looking ample breasts and up to her tantalizing collarbones and neck (which had been fully exposed because she'd tied her thick, black silky locks back into a loose ponytail) and then _finally_ getting trapped in that enchanting, sexy, yet lightly teasing gaze of hers. _Wow...just, wooow..._

"You flatter me." She smirked saucily, making me realize that I'd spoken my mind and I may or may have not been drooling at the sight of the dark haired, green eyed goddess before me.

"Ah- I-I mean- I didn't mean-" I coughed awkwardly, dropping my lame excuse altogether and gingerly looked away in hopes of getting a grip on myself. When I did, I barely remembered that she'd called me by my earned title.

' _The Avatar of reasonableness in a fight.'_ The newspaper once called me, causing every one to run with the nickname shortly after. However, when I was younger and Tenzin had almost given up on training me, I was anything but _reasonable_. I actually was hotheaded then and even went on a rampage with most of his old training equipment one day. _More like the Avatar of demolition._ Anyway, Tenzin finally lost his own temper, words were thrust at each other and I practically stormed out of his battered gym looking for blood. Fortunately, I just so happened to have a mock fight that night, so I didn't have to pick on a few thugs to burn the anger off.

It was safe to say that I got my butt handed back to me with a wicked smug grin and hearty chuckles from both her and her coach.

Since that utter failure, I sulked around for a few days until I decided to apologize to old man Tenzin...for ruining his equipment. Anyway, _he_ properly apologized for his losing his temper so quickly with me, I apologized for my selfishness and complete lack of submission. We went right back to my training and from there, I felt as if something clicked in to place. All of those torturous hours of him breaking my body down and building me back up, his odd mixture of _Heaven and Earth_ deals, spinning panels, all of it managed to shape me into what everyone now called _the Avatar._

But the meditation thing? I had no idea where that came from nor did I want it to continue. _It's so boring!_

"Well, of course," I managed a sly look at the pretty woman, once I decided to act like a normal human and speak with her. "Ms. _Sato._ It would be quite barbaric of the Avatar to stand up the daughter and almost CEO of Future Industries." I gave her a lopsided grin for effect.

"Impressive. Did you find that out _after_ I gave you my number?" She shot back with so much sass that I had to fight an eye roll.

"Maybe." I shrugged and offered her her drink when the bartender served it to us. In fact, I _had_ known...after seeing her face on one of Mako's reading materials. (On the computer since he was looking for some sort of lead to a series of new inventions popping up here and there that were used to rob a few stores and help with an equal rights thing.) _If he's right about looking into the Sato's history...then that guy is gonna make detective one day._ I was able to think that while Hiroshi Sato's daughter was sitting next to me, but _I_ had no right to question her. _Or did I? There's no way she's guilty of anything...except for being stunningly gorgeous!_ "I can ask you the same thing though." I added.

"Indeed, I know who you are." Asami giggled. "I just so happen to watch all of your matches, so there was no reason to research who you were."

That made my hand freeze halfway to my mouth. As surprise took over my face, I turned to gape at the woman who was still smirking at me like she was anticipating that very reaction. "Wait- so that means you know who I was when we first met?" I narrowed my eyes playfully. "Is that why you gave me your number?"

"Maybe." She countered. "And no, I gave you my number because I wanted to know who the gorgeous woman was that was checking me out all night."

"But you didn't know I was the Avatar?" I was slowly getting confused. _So, she knew me, but didn't?_ I scratched the tip of my nose. "That's not confusing whatsoever."

"Let's just say that I wanted to make sure it was the actual Avatar before anything else happened." Asami added before taking a sip of her drink.

"It's pretty hard to find a good impersonator." I chuckled, suddenly feeling warm all over. If I was still lost, it didn't matter now that she was there. With me. Which was very nice, but we kept getting looks from a random amount of people like they either couldn't believe their eyes or they were waiting for something to happen. My date was the first to pick up on it and decided to move things along in the only way I was sure she knew how.

Asami not only sat next to me, but now she actually had the gall to scoot her chair ever closer and even manged to angle her arms and legs to where they would either brush mine or completely just rub up against me. _Spirits, this woman!_ My body heat must have warmed up several hundred degrees because I was now starting to sweat in my seat. Another generous second of those torturous touches and I would definitely pay tribute to the polar plunge. With or without all of those eyes on me.

"What, no more lines for me?" She breathed, making sure to trace my forearm with her freshly manicured nails. I noticed that although those nails had cute intricate designs of sakura petals, they were accompanied by _used_ hands. They may not have been calloused and man-ish, but there was a jarring firmness in her palms. A curved scar presented itself just above her left knuckle while further up was her finely chiseled slender wrist and toned forearm- "Make me smile, _Korra."_ She whispered, nearly making me squeal when I felt her hot breath and lips brush by my ear.

 _Uh..._ I needed to say something before her seductiveness completely shut my poor brain down. "I-if beauty were time, you'd be eternity." I tried not to strain, but failed as she playfully nipped my ear before pulling back to look at me with intense green orbs. A particularly charged aura formed around the both of us, enclosing us in a secure bubble that kept everyone else out and kept our eyes completely focused on one another.

"Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back." She winked and I all but lost it.

"T-there's a sale in my bedroom right now." I began to chuckle , fighting off my nervousness by trying to be aloof. _Was she serious?_ "Clothes are now 100% off." _We hardly know each other!_ Granted, we passed a few texts here and there for a few days beforehand (after I'd called her that fateful day) but was that enough? She knew who I was and I knew her now too. _It's just a kiss...like the movies. 'We're not in the movies.'_

"I simply asked for a kiss, but you asked me to your bed? Business before pleasure please, madam." Asami's face brightened as she let out a nice heartfelt laugh, squeezing my arm at the same time in approval.

"Hey, _you_ asked me to pick you up Ms. Sato." I snorted in amusement and tried to copy her seductiveness by leaning in to whisper, "I like to eat my dessert first before my meal."

"No saving the best for last?" She asked innocently.

"You never know, someone might try to take it." I smirked like a dork. "Trust me, it _has_ been done to me before."

"Ah," Her face fell somewhat in understanding. "Well, you don't have to worry. No one will steal me from you."

I couldn't stop the wicked grin from taking over my face as I continued to take her for a spin. "Oh no, I meant like, I was actually saving my Varri-cake for later when Bolin snatched it away and shoved it into his mouth in one fell swoop!" I exclaimed with heavy exaggeration while moving my hands around in emphasis.

When I was done, I saw confusion pass over Asami's face for all of two seconds before she immediately smacked my arm. I barked out a laughed and she hit me again, scoffing like it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Maybe it was, but I couldn't care less. "Well yes, that's exactly what I was talking about." I shot a cheeky grin at her. "What were _you_ talking about Ms. Sato?"

"I think you know." Asami raised a brow. She clearly hadn't been one to tease too much, but I was determined to help her with that. ' _Business before pleasure' my well trained backside._ I had reason to believe that she wasn't much into talking, seeing as her feelings had probably been toyed with numerous times...being a Sato and all. _That's what that underlying tone is in those pretty eyes._ They were just saturated with such raw emotion that people overlooked the deepness of her real feelings. Again, I was determined to help her with that.

"You think I know what you know to know I think?" My hand came up to scratch my chin playfully.

"I know that you know that I know what you think you know." She flashed her pearly white teeth at me in defiance.

"Um, what was that?" I asked slightly lightheaded. "So you think you know me now?" I countered, hoping my mind would catch up sooner than later.

"I'd like to." Her voice tightened into a more intimate tone that made my stomach flip. (As if it hadn't already been doing that since that morning.)

The frequent festivities of the beach seemed to fade into simple white noise as the two of us once again gazed into each other's eyes. Green locked on blue, but neither of us wanted to move or look away, or even close the small distance between us for that matter. She was so gorgeous and confident, but I could tell that there seemed to be a loneliness there that made it hard for her to actually laugh, or smile, to be happy almost. Yet there she was, laughing at my ridiculousness, looking like she wanted to kiss me, almost happy. Almost.

"Well, well, if it isn't the _Uh-vatar."_ Another overly-confident voice suddenly broke through our private bubble and managed to make me tear my eyes away from Asami's to another shade of sneaky jade. Unlike Asami's, these ones held cockiness with a hint of annoyance at seeing me here.

"Well, hi there Kuvi." I smirked when she straightened up, showing off her aggressiveness by crossing her arms over her chest, stance strong.

"Don't call me that." She snapped. "You have _no_ right to give me a nickname after what happened in Ba Sing Se." Her eyes narrowed into angry tiger seal slits.

"Oh, you mean when I beat you?" I asked, feeling Asami's fingers once again scratch along my forearm in a silent reminder that she was still there. "You aren't still sore over that are you?" I flashed her a reassuring smile before turning back to the hostile woman behind us.

"That match was fixed and you know it." Kuvira leaned in, but I simply redirected my grin at her. As much as I wanted to continue that banter, I had a date and didn't want to waste any precious time on her with some one else. Someone who was a sore loser.

"How much longer do I have to sweep you off your feet, pretty lady?" I whispered to the one who was now drawing patterns on my arm. This date was only intended to be a simple lunch since Asami had meetings galore in one of the hotels on the beach. She gave me a light smile but before she could reply, Kuvira cut her off.

"I demand a rematch."

"In a minute." I growled in annoyance. "Can I enjoy lunch first? Besides, do you _see_ a ring here?"

"I'm not talking about boxing." She leaned back with a smug smile on her face. "Up for some volleyball?"

* * *

"I _cannot_ believe she's pulling this stunt! _Now_ of all times!" I lamented in exaggeration while I pulled off my shirt. "I mean, I'm here for _you!_ I wanna play with _you!"_ My hands thrust at an amused Asami who was smirking at me and I didn't miss the way those emerald eyes immediately drank in the newly exposed skin of my stomach. Of course when I mentioned that last sentence, her eyes shot back up to mine; shimmering in something between naughty and playful.

"Yeah?" She asked innocently and just by the way it was said, had my heart flop like a fish. _Whoa._ I felt an enormous blush start to creep over my face at that moment.

"Wait, you seriously thought we'd play one-on-one?" Kuvira chuckled disdainfully, having appeared out of thin air. "Your pretty girlfriend can play too."

"So, that means Bataar's here?" I started, then froze. "G-girlfriend? Wait- that- I mean we're- hold the phone! Leave Asami out of our mess. This is between you and I." I had no idea where all of that came from and I ended up stuttering like I never had before. I was never a smooth talker and I doubted that would change now. (It actually took major concentration for me to somewhat keep my cool around Asami.)

"I'm fine with that." Said woman chimed in.

"See? She doesn't- you do?" I asked when I finally analyzed what she'd said, not noticing that she was already tightening her hair and that she had already shed her skirt. My jaw was on the ground in the next instant. _Those legs go on for days._ They were such a sight and I'd heard somewhere that the 'V' between a woman's legs made some unlucky idiot dumb. _And they were right!_

"My eyes are up here, Avatar." Asami giggled and slowly reached out to lift my chin with her thumb and forefinger until my eyes met hers once more.

"Well, she's quite a catch now isn't she?" Kuvira's unwelcomed voice made me instinctively reach out to grab onto Asami's waist.

"Back off, Kuvi. She's mine." I snapped, pulling her closer to me. A small gasp was heard, but I hardly noticed as I tightened my hold on Ms. Sato, nearly burying my face in her sweet smelling neck.

"Again. Do _not_ call me that." Kuvira gestured for us to follow her. "And don't worry. I'm married remember?"

"Hasn't stopped you before." I muttered, finally giving in and lightly nuzzling my nose into Asami's shoulder when Kuvira walked away.

"Are... are you okay?" The wavy haired girl asked breathlessly from somewhere to my left, reminding me that I was still gripping her like she was going to fly away from me. I let go in a hurry which seemed to make my head spin.

"Yeah- yes I'm fine." I coughed awkwardly. Her cheeks were a nice shade of flushed, as were mine and I nervously brushed my hair behind my ear as I wondered if I'd overstepped myself a bit with that little display.

"You are." She smiled confidently, making me blush further. "And you're okay with volleyball?" I saw slight concern in her eyes and it made my own cocky grin slip over my face. I then proceeded to finishing off my drink, before urging my date to do the same so we could be a little more loose for the pending game.

"I can assure you that volleyball is, indeed, _my_ sport." I pumped my fist in the air, feeling my stomach warm further since I hadn't eaten much that morning. "Seriously, the sport can't function without me." Nodding my head in agreement with myself, I grabbed Asami's hand and began to lead her in the same direction Kuvira and Bataar went.

* * *

"Korra, I thought you said _this_ was your element." Asami couldn't help but giggle cutely as she wiped my forehead with her unwrapped skirt. We were losing. By a lot.

"I lied." I shrugged nonchalantly, smiling like an idiot as she then brushed the rest of my bangs out of the way. "Just because I'm the Avatar doesn't mean I have mastery over _all_ the sports."

"I thought you were light on your feet." Kuvira chortled as well. Bataar didn't say anything, but gave a comforting smile while loosely placing his arm around his competitive wife's shoulders.

"Again. I can't rock _all_ the sports on the face of this planet." I threw my hands up in defeat. _She chooses the one sport I suck at._ A part of me suspected that that was her plan all along. Regardless that it was most likely a chance meeting of old rivals. "Lacrosse, football, surfing, bowling, tennis- you name it! But trust me when I say volleyball is _evil_." I hissed through my teeth at Asami, who raised a steady brow, along with a smirk until it produced another giggle.

"Fine. We'll call it since Bataar and I have to meet Su and the others for a late lunch." Kuvira huffed, deciding to drop it for now, but I suddenly remembered that Asami was supposed to go back some time ago too.

"Alright, just tell me when-"

"In two weeks." The jade eyed woman cut me off. "There's a surfing tournament going on at Ember Island and I already signed us both up. You need the registration fee but I still got you a spot, so you better not be late or I'll never forgive you." She barked in finality and left before I could even protest.

"Bye then? Tell them we said HI!" I shouted after the retreating couple, only earning an apologetic gaze and wave from Bataar in affirmation.

When they were out of sight, I turned back to Asami. The girl was perfectly awesome! She was the one that scored the majority of our points and I figured I would have done a little more had she, _herself_ not been so darn distracting! The way her body moved, flowed naturally, the power of her hits, her saves...I began to mentally drool over the flashbacks when her shimmering green eyes moved in font of me again.

"So. Can I make this up to you?" I asked sheepishly as I scratched the back of my neck, realizing that it was well after lunch and we hadn't eaten anything. Not to mention that we wasted time on a sport that I couldn't even show off in. _Fail._ "I- I understand-"

"Stop." Asami put a lone finger to my lips, silencing me and giving me a genuine smile while doing so. "Dinner tonight."

"Where?" I asked.

"Here. I'm staying in room 2800." She gestured to the hotel behind us.

"A very nice suite, if I may say so. What time do I pick you up?"

"It is because I designed it. You can pick me up at seven-thirty." Asami smiled widely before catching me off gaurd by leaning in to kiss my cheek.

As she sauntered away with the gentle breeze, warmth spread throughout my body causing a blindingly stupid giddy grin split my face and I was sure there were hearts floating all around me. _I get to see the woman of my dreams sooner than I thought._

* * *

 _A/N2: I have no idea where I'm going with this, but it probably won't continue...I was just heavily inspired by the beach since I spent nearly a week on it with an insanely cute and utterly adorable puppy! ;) I swear if she didn't belong to my cuz, I so could have named her Naga. (She's just as white and soft as I imagine Naga would be.) Not to mention that the little darling was an attention grabber and she showed off to all the guys and girls while I stood there like a nerd and I'm rambling..._

 _Anyway, Feisty out! Tootles and thanks for reading^^_


	4. What If

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Korra.**

"Honestly? I didn't hear a single word you said." I looked in heavy amusement to my friend who was downright stuffing his mouth full of dumplings, fried rice and noodles. All at once. _That cannot be healthy._ "I was...distracted... by all of those things blending around in your wide open trap. My voice clearly held my intense awe at the sight before me. _He can be even more famous if he made his own eating show._

Bolin pointed a fork (full of noddles) at me before taking a big gulp in order to choke some of that food down and I was almost certain that the majority of it wasn't even thoroughly chewed. _Gross._ "I was _shaying_ that-" He took a quick drink of water. "Well, actually, I was asking how your date went the other night? You know, after your show down with that scary woman friend of yours that's hellbent on beating you at something?" He motioned with his hands all the while.

"Oh, you mean Kuvira?" I mimicked him for fun, but stopped and got serious. "She's like a really good friend of mine. Sister almost." My brow rose in question while Bolin gently slurped some more noodles into his mouth, mindful that I had wrinkled my nose in disapproval. Of course, I only said or did things once and if he didn't pick up on it, that was that. "Kuvira and I have something that probably makes no sense to anyone, but you were talking about Asami, right?" I asked when the waiter came by to refill my water and I again had to tell him I didn't want to order anything.

Kuvira and I had a relationship solely based on pushing each other our maximum potential. In a way, our ambitions and aspirations to be the best we could be, was spot on. Of course, _she_ was a little more strict than I was because she'd gone to the military, but all the same, we had a competitive streak that we'd found out one of the first times we fought each other. (It happened a few years before the one at Ba Sing Se.) We had gone through a good amount of rounds until I emerged as the winner, but only because she'd hurt her wrist doing some sort of improvised power move that was more MMA than boxing, but the refs hadn't caught it. Either way, of course she wanted a rematch and I was only too happy to oblige after she'd practically cornered me and demanded it.

I won that one too, though I suspected it was because she was distracted by my smooth fighting style and since then, she set out to keep in touch with me, challenging me with whatever she saw fit. Only recently did she basically challenge and win something. _Stupid volleyball._

"Yeah, Sato. Asami Sato." Bolin nodded eagerly, bringing me back to our conversation. "From what I've seen on Mako's research stuff in the living room, she's a total babe!"

That time, I reached out to playfully slap the side of his head. "Cut that out now, she's a _lady_. Not some piece of meat." I chided, though just the mention of her name caused a pleasant rush throughout my body and I had to fight off a dopey grin because of it.

"Right, right." He chuckled, finally finishing his enormous plate of food. "So, did you ask her to be your girl yet?" Patting his full stomach, he waited for me to answer with a smug grin. _Speaking of dopey!_ I felt a blush creep up and settle on my face at his question.

"Wh- what?! My...girl? As in _girlfriend?_ " I whispered the last part, making Bolin lean in as well.

He cupped the side of his mouth as if he were going to tell me a secret. "Well, yeah!" No whisper whatsoever in his voice made me flinch involuntarily and move away so he wouldn't damage my eardrum anymore than was necessary. "What's the matter _Avatar?_ Are you afraid? Or are you one of those-" he feigned a falsetto voice while waving his hands around in front of him. " _No way! I don't want to be tied down to anyone. I want to be free and feel the wind through my hair!_ Types?Or are you like: _if you want me, you gotta put a ring on it!_ " He held up his ring finger in my face while I nearly busted a gut laughing at his ridiculous antics.

"You're crazy." I continued to chuckle. Though, instead of answering right away, I tried to hide behind my cup of water.

"Seriously, you shouldn't be afraid. I mean, what's the worst she can do?"

"Uh, say _no_ maybe?" I shrugged, avoiding eye contact until another thought occurred to me. "You know what? I may be afraid..but what about you? I know you're in the same boat as I am with Opal. You haven't asked, because you're just as scared as I am." I tried to feebly defend myself.

"Well," Bolin cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt collar. "You're right, Korra." He muttered. "It is kinda scary. Opal's like the sweetest, cutest thing ever and I fear that I'm not what she's looking for."

"Same here!" I commented. "Asami is this awesomely, gorgeous, incredibly nice and fully capable daughter of one of the most wealthiest men in Republic City and here I am, just a simple boxer with a ton of side hobbies." I couldn't stop the pout from forming on my face at that. _And I met her at a bar of all places._

Bolin was silent for a moment before he got up and sidled next to me, throwing his massive arm around my shoulders. "Would you look at us? Dishing out our girl problems, supporting each other." He playfully nuzzled into the side of my head. "I tell you what: _I'll_ ask Opal tomorrow and you can ask Asami today."

"Aww you're so- wait- today?!" I spluttered. "Why today?"

"Because, my dear friend." Bolin squeezed me reassuringly. " _You_ haven't eaten today- for some odd reason." He added under his breath.

"I'm training!" I interjected. "I have a Waterbending competition coming up remember? Ember Island?" I rubbed the side of his head teasingly while he digested that information.

"...Is that the same as the Banzai Pipeline?" He asked while moving my hand and scratching his head in thought. "Surfing is a whole other league for me."

"Yes- well, kind of?" I quickly searched my brain for a better explanation. "More like the Mavericks International Surf Contest."

"And this is what you do when you aren't K-O- _ing_ another girl in the ring?" Bolin raised a brow like I'd never mentioned such activities before.

"Yup. Along with other things." I shrugged nonchalantly. "How long have we been friends, Bo? That stings a little." I threw my hands up before pointing to my heart. "Right...here."

"Weeeelll, yeah I remember." He shot a wide none-too-innocent grin at me. "I just wanted to see if _you_ remembered. You know, 'cause you're all twitter-pated and whatnot." He drawled haphazardly.

"Oh _whatever_." I snorted, nudging his shoulder with mine and he chortled when I playfully poked his side. _You are too._

"Just saying. Anyway, here's the plan, broham..." He leaned in once more. This time actually whispering in my ear and not yelling at me.

* * *

 _'Hey Pretty Lady. XD'_ I sent the message before I wigged out and sat gnawing on my nail as I waited for a replay. _Crap, crap, crap! Was that too forward? I mean, our date went fabulous, but what if that- what if she-_ I dropped my phone when an unexpected message came in.

 _'Well, hi there Bright Eyes. I was just thinking about you. :)'_

My throat instantly dried like the desert after I picked my phone back up and read the text. _She was thinking about me? What does that mean?_ I shook my head and tried to control the way my heart was beginning to pound uncontrollably in my chest. _Okay, Korra. Get your head out of the clouds. Just do it, just ask her to lunch and we'll take it from there!_ As I mentally pumped myself up, I hadn't realized what I was already typing until it was too late.

' _You wanna know what's beautiful? Read the first word again.'_ My jaw dropped. _No. Oh...no, no, no, no, no! Korra you moron!_ The grip on my phone grew slack, but snapped right back to attention as I frantically wrote a different message. ' _I mwan- that wasn't wha I menat to say1! I actuslly wanned to ask uou to lucj!'_ I face-palmed so hard after I sent that. _That's it! I'm done for._ A whimper to my left made me look down through my fingers into big chocolate colored eyes. "What are _you_ looking at?" I muttered, only to get a tilted head as a reply. Until another _Bing!_ drew my eyes back to my phone.

 _'You're so sweet! But would you mind translating that? I'm afraid I don't speak Adorable too often.'_

 _Wow, she's good._ My face was flushed a deep red and I felt like the world's biggest spaz for the next few minutes as I only wrote what I thought I could without making more of a fool of myself. ' _Umm...are you hungry?'_ I eventually settled for after rewriting the message a third time.

 _'Yes. Yes I am. Where are you?'_ Came her instant reply. I gulped nervously as I wondered what kind of reaction I'd get from the dark haired beauty when I told her I was already outside. _Creeper Status? Think I'm there._

 _'Here. Outside. The same hotel you mentioned you were staying at. There.'_ I leaned forward so I could put most of my weight on my knees in slight defeat. I wasn't even sure of what she liked to eat, seeing as I only took her out once. (She'd ordered some sort of fish meal, but I was too busy looking at her and not paying much attention to our food.) _And I bring her a burrito from Macao's. Okay, Avatar! Enough moping before you run yourself into the dirt. You can give yourself some credit sometimes._ I let out a huge undecided sigh and just about poked the the ear of my little tag along when I noticed a pair of heels out of the corner of my eye.

Said eyes began a slow trek upwards over black nylons, up to a black pencil skirt that outlined marvelous hips, and further up to a tucked in deep red blouse that was unbuttoned to the third button. My breath caught when my eyes glazed over the sliver of skin of her cleavage which was partially covered by black tresses, to her full painted lips and I was afraid I'd actually faint when I finally made eye-contact with the woman of my dreams. Emerald clashed with azure and I bolted upright out of my seat.

"H-hi!" I all but shouted, wincing when I realized it. _Easy does it, you oaf._

"Hi, back." Asami's voice gently smoothed around me, making me nervously happy with a dash of terrified giddiness. How all of that fit into one emotion was out of my thinking process so I tried to fight it off by scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "So," she tilted her head innocently. "What's on the menu?"

"Me-n-U." I couldn't help but chuckle, finally feeling a little better now that she was here. I relaxed further when she rolled her eyes and threatened to hit my arm and I gestured to the bench I was just sitting at. "I mean," I coughed and plopped next to her while digging through the bag that held our food. "Burritos? I-I wasn't sure what you liked to eat and since I was already downtown with Bolin, I figured I...well, Bolin gave me the idea to bring lunch to you- not that I wasn't thinking about you because I always am and I'm going to shut up now." I smiled sheepishly and held her burrito out to her. _Wow...you have such a way with words, Korra._

Asami took the proffered wrap, but not before surprising me by pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek. "Did I already say you were adorable, Korra?" She whispered into my ear, making an almost violent wave of chills run down my spine. A blush fell on my cheeks and I couldn't help but stiffen up, which only served to make her giggle cutely. _What is she doing to me?_ "I suppose we can add _sweet_ too, seeing as no one has done this for me before." She added quietly.

That statement made me look at her. That raw emotion was in her pretty green orbs, but beyond that, I could see the gratefulness, the sincerity, and the small hint of joy hidden within those depths. Just that alone made all of my insecurities fade away like mist and I couldn't stop myself from leaning forward. I had no intended destination, no desire to speed things up, just a soft urge to place my lips on her smooth skin.

I kissed her nose.

My heart was in my throat and my limbs suddenly felt weak as I slowly pulled back. Our eyes met again and I could see the first signs of a blush appear on her creamy cheeks. We both let out light chuckles and I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear, knowing I still had a blush on my own face. "I-" I started and then paused, unsure of where to go from there, unsure if it was the right time to break the silence, just unsure about everything at the moment.

"Thank you, Korra." Asami cleared her throat first and was about to unwrap her food when I suddenly felt a burst of confidence. The little smile that was set on her full lips, faltered as I put my hand over hers.

 _Do you wanna go out with me?_ "I-I havesomethingelseforyou." I stammered and immediately, inwardly smacked my forehead. _Calm down._ I thought before taking a few deep breaths, never loosening my hold on her hand. "I mean, I got something else for you- sweet Aang, you make me so nervous." I chuckled again and looked away in slight embarrassment.

"You don't have to be nervous around me." Asami soothed and made me jump slightly when she turned her hand over and twined our fingers. "Okay?"

"Right," I nodded, but instead of looking into those beckoning eyes, my gaze drifted to our interlaced fingers. _Our skin tones..._ There was just something very erotic about my tan skin and her nice creamy fingers. They were quite the contrast and I was only too happy to rub my thumb over her knuckles. Possibly to remind myself that this was true, these feelings were real and that this pretty lady was comforting me. And that I was being comforted by her too.

As much as I wanted to keep doing what I was doing, a movement by my foot broke me out of my daze and I cleared my throat once more. Reluctantly letting go of her hand, I bent over to pick the furry animal out of the other bag I was carrying. "Are you allergic to dogs, Pretty Lady?" I asked, having regained some of my earlier confidence.

"No? Well, I'm not sure because I've never had one before." Asami contemplated. _Ah. A lot of firsts for her today I see._

"Well now. I can't say I'm surprised- not that I'm implying that you either can't handle one or hate them, but- well, I was heading over here when I got our burritos and then there was this big ole commotion which caught my attention. Anyway, once I got closer, I just had to get one, but I figured- you know- that I'd get you... one?" I couldn't stop the lopsided grin from forming across my face when I held the all white pup out to her. Of course I'd stumbled through it all and would be surprised if she caught any of it, but the way her eyes grew into saucers and from the high-pitched squeal she let out, I felt pretty proud of myself for sometimes being able to think on my feet.

"Korra..." Asami breathed as she reached out to pet the small head of the puppy. "You...got her... for me?" The puppy immediately began to lick her fingers and I had to adjust my hold on her so she wouldn't try to squirm out of my lap. By then, Asami was cupping the pup's face, using her thumbs to run over the pointed ears. She was a white German Shepard, just old enough to eat and I had fallen in love with her right away. I wanted her, yes, but I also had a _very_ good feeling about giving her to Asami. Whether the dark haired vixen and I progressed, or didn't, I figured we could still be friends and bond over the little fuzzbucket. It may have been wishful thinking, but a girl can dream can't she?

"Yeah, I know it was a little unexpected- random, but I just thought I'd-" I sighed again, deciding to just come out with it. "I like you, Asami. I like talking to you, texting you- I just _like_ you." I nibbled on my lip for a second until I felt the puppy lick my chin as if she were encouraging me as well. "I guess what I'm trying to say is-" words momentarily failed me again as I tried to look at her. I couldn't.

"Yes?" Asami urged after a short pause. My entire body began to pulsate as my heart reached a dangerous beating level. _It's now or never!_

I took one last breath, lifted my head up until I saw the different kinds of emotions swirling around in those green orbs of hers and I added some strength to my voice so I'd be heard over the noises of the streets. Possibly the world.

"Asami Sato. Will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading! And I bet there was more to say...but I'm drawing a blank...oh well, hope you licked- liked it *ahem* Tootles~_


	5. Korra needs game and who is that?

**Disclaimer: I own Nothing.**

* * *

Lights from street lamps were the only visible things in the dark silhouettes of the mountainside and cabins along the shore behind me. In front, the skies were still a dull greyish blue with clouds and the promises of a nice sun in a few more hours. My arms pumped at my sides while my legs churned under me, eyes set and focused on the long stretch of sand before me. I was a machine. The sounds of the ocean, I could hear clear and loud, as nice cold water also lapped at my legs from time to time. It was only the beach and I, and I was loving every second of it.

A cluster of palm trees came into view next, causing me to break my pace and detour up into them. As I arrived, I came to a full stop and began stretching my arms, then legs, and while I was rolling my neck, I could see that some smart person had set up a bar between two parallel trunks. With a grin I hopped up to wrap my hands around the bar. Looking straight up, I could see the still murky color of the mid sky through the palm leaves and only then did I tighten my muscles.

The first set was a breeze, but as I went on, my entire body began to feel the burn. _Twenty._ I let out a small groan of effort as I lifted myself up, intent on having my chin touch the bar. _Five more._ I bared my teeth with a determined hiss and continued until my arms felt like jelly. _Twenty-five!_ Letting go of the bar, I allowed myself a few minutes of breath before lying back down to do sit-ups.

By the time I was running back my room, I was well worked over. The sky had lightened substantially and though it hadn't fully risen yet, it was still stunning a stunning view.

 _"Waddup wave riders. It's Taco Tuesday, Feburary 4th. Waves are averaging 14 feet in 18 seconds, so there's definitely some size out there in the water and it's moving our way. There's a little bit of morning sickness out right now, but it should clear up as the winds pick up-"_ That was all I needed to hear as I bent over to spit toothpaste into the sink. After rinsing my brush, I shook my damp hair out and dialed another number.

 _"It's flat! Now let me sleep."_ The voice answered after a fourth ring, making me roll my eyes.

"Wake up, Kai." I couldn't help but chuckle at his sleep-drenched voice.

 _"Korra?"_ He sounded a bit more awake.

"Good morning sleepy head."

 _"You wouldn't happen to know if Tenzin's family is coming would you?"_ Now he sounded much more alive.

"I have no idea, but if they do, you have _got_ to say something to Jinora this time, eh?" I shrugged before lifting my hair out of my eyes. "Anyway, how's it looking out there?"

A grunt sounded and the sound of the waves grew louder in the background as well. _"Ah, man! It's beautiful, Kor. At least double overhead, which means that you better get down here."_ At the tone of his voice, I felt my own mood lift.

"Alright. Thanks, buddy." I grinned and hung up before sliding across the floor in my socks. My destination wasn't far at all as I suddenly knelt beside a snuggled up lump of white. "Naga. Naga, come on. Get up." The puppy whined like one does, but then instantly shot up so she could begin to soil my clean face with her eager morning kisses.

* * *

It was a good thing I didn't have to drive to the main beach, otherwise, finding a place to park would have been a feat in itself. Instead, I simply carried my board, along with Naga, down to the happening scene not three blocks from the hotel I was staying at. As I neared, I saw all too familiar faces. "Hey Desna, Eska. How is it out there?" I greeted the pair as they just got off the sand and onto the sidewalk.

Like the twins they were, they wore the same colored clothes, but Eska's attire was a lot more girly than her brother's. She was the more stoic one and her brother had his own way of talking, though, I could never really connect with them. I was sure they thought the same about me."Hello, Cousin." Eska replied flatly before she reached out to poke Naga's nose. "He's cute." The pup squirmed and I had to calm her by flexing my arm a little.

"Actually, he's a she. This is Naga." I corrected as gently as I could. Eska's dark blue eyes blinked, clearly not impresed, but she continued to run a finger along Naga's head. The pup suddenly didn't mind, so long as my cousin kept it at that.

"Oh, it's pretty nuts." Desna finally decided to speak up, looking to the raging waves behind us. "Broke my board." He brought his eyes back to me, emphasizing said board. "It's pretty heavy out there. Sure you can handle it?"

Ignoring the poor sight before me, I confidently stuck out my chest with a lopsided grin. "You bet your bottom I can!" He gave a ghost of a smile before Eska jabbed him in the side.

"You promised me breakfast, now let's go. I've had enough of this dirt getting into every crevice of my body." Without another word to either of us, she wondered off, leaving Desna to catch up with her.

"You know she's still a little torn up about Bolin." He said to me. I sighed heavily and placed Naga at my feet.

"What can I say that Bolin hasn't, Dez?" Standing my board up, I faced him once more. "She just wasn't right for him." _Seriously. Bo doesn't even know what's right for him._

"Well, she'll get over it eventually. They're both idiots." Desna gave me another half smile with a choked out chuckle and left it at that. "Good luck out there." I waved him off and then started down the sandy grove until the beach came back into view. _Yeah, odd cousins._

One look at the water, and Naga went ballistic, easily wiping that awkward scene from my head as she thundered away from me. I had to drop my board and go dive in after her before she caused someone else to crash on their boards. Or run her over. Either way, I could tell I'd have _no_ problem surfing with her if she was so jazzed about the water already.

Of course, we couldn't hit the heavy yet. Not with her and her small body. So instead, we headed further down the line until the sandbar came into view. With another wide grin I placed my board in the water with Naga on the tip as I waded out a bit more. "See? You have to hang on, otherwise you'll have to chill on the beach while _I_ have fun out here." I poked her wet nose, making her whole body waggle along with her tail in excitement. "Now hold still while I get on, cutie." Rubbing her small head, I circled and threw my leg over until I settled behind her.

Naga stayed still for all of two seconds and then I was scooping her back out of the water while snorting out my own laughter. "Patience, young Jedi." Instead of placing her back at the tip, I picked her up and held her out in front of me, looking into her deep brown eyes that were still filled with excitement. Her pink tongue poked out to try to get a lick in, but I only smirked at her soaked self. _Glad I got you._

"Well, isn't she cute?" An unfamiliar female voice said from my right. "Oh, the puppy too, I mean." That made me snap my head to the right.

"E-excuse-" My jaw dropped somewhat when the girl shot me a playful smile. A blush instantly crept up my face and I was glad that the sun still hadn't come all the way up yet. "U-uh, I mean-" Clearing my throat, I set Naga back down before turning back to her. Instead of tripping over my words again, I ended up smiling like an idiot.

"Morning." She smiled again. "I'm Micah."

"Korra." I somehow choked out, instinctively reaching out to shake her hand. " _Aloha kakahiaka."_ She was pretty. _Very_ pretty _Micah, was it?_. Her still dry dark hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and while I couldn't see the exact shade of her eyes in this light, I knew they were beautiful. Her bikini top was a hot pink color with matching pink and white shorts and I could see a belly button pierce on her toned stomach. _Sheesh._

"What, you don't speak English?" She then smirked, her whole lovely face shifting because of it. "Because _Adorable_ is a language I have yet to master."

My eyes widened before I practially groaned. "Are you _kidding_ me?" Chuckling uncontrollably, I couldn't help but be reminded Asami saying almost the same thing to me once. _Asami._ I'd done a good job of distracting myself since I'd gotten here, but it seemed this random person brought those green eyes right back into the forefront of my mind in two seconds flat. _Great. Just great._

"Calm down, _ku'uipo_." She giggled too, moving closer on her board until our legs brushed in the gentle waves. I fought off my bush for as long as I could, but with that word and the touch of her leg, I looked away and coughed awkwardly. "What brings you out here so early?" She asked as she looked out over the horizon.

"I'm in training, well, sort of. Today I just figured I'd take Naga out and then get ready for the competition that'll be happening in three days." Forcing my embarrassment away, I languidly pushed my hair out of my eyes and then poked the little beast's stomach, making her jump up and try to get at my face. It was a good thing the weather was nice, otherwise, the sopping puppy would be freezing.

"Wow, you're here for that?" Micah asked before looking back at me in awe. "That's amazing! You know, I've been living here half my life and I've never been to any of the competitions."

"Really? Never?" I asked, trying to contain my shock to no avail.

"I kinda, sorta barely learned how to surf too." She admitted sheepishly and then playfully glared at me when I cleared my throat to cover a chuckle. "Don't you dare laugh at me."

"Water got in my nose." I shrugged it off, not noticing how easy it was to talk to her.

"Uh-huh." Grunted Micah skeptically. "Okay, show off. How long have _you_ been surfing?"

"I-it's just a hobby. No big deal." I distracted myself by scratching behind Naga's ears, which she loved.

"Ah, she's modest too." Micah stretched her arms over her head semi-arrogantly.

"Since I was six." I answered with a roll of my eyes. "Besides, this whole thing was a challenge. I wouldn't be here if my friend hadn't set me up without my consent." _Infact,_ _I'd be home trying to get a striaght answer from Asami._

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It could be, but hey, I got to meet you." I decided to leave it at that, but realized all too late what I'd said. "Well, I- I mean- not that I'm trying to- not that you aren't- you know what, I came here to surf, so that's what I'm gonna do." Again, I stuffed my foot in my mouth, but instead of embarrassing myself further, I placed Naga at the tip of the board again and postioned myself behind her so I could paddle out.

I heard Micah's laughter echo across the waves.

* * *

 _'Hiya stranger :)'_

Asami's text had me grinning right off the bat. Of course, I didn't know what to say as a response. _Stranger?_ _What could- should I say?_ Groaning inwardly, I tossed my phone down and glanced up at the ceiling. "What's a girl to do, Naga?" My lip stuck out in a pout just as said pup jumped on me, only to lick my neck and then disappearing again. "I mean, why couldn't she just tell me _no_ right then and there? Why drag out the inevitable? And why am I invite Micah over for dinner when I'm still clearly hung up on Asami?!"

As if to spite me, I heard a sweet voice somewhere in the room. _"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to call. Actually, I was just about to call you."_ My eyes wided in panic and I snapped back up to see that my phone had somehow called the last person I'd had up on my screen. _Asami?!_ Before I could reach for it, Naga blew past me again with my favorite surfing top. "Hey! Give that back!" I jumped for her, but ended up landing myself on the floor instead. "You better not put holes in that you little furball! If you do, I'm not taking you out tomorrow!"

I was about to scramble after her when Asami's voice reminded me that she was on the other line. _"Korra?"_ Quickly, I snatched the phone back up.

"Hey. Hi. Asami, darli- I mean- I- How are you?" I smacked myself on the forehead, but didn't stop myself from crawling after that darn mischievious pup. Around the couch corner, her big chocolate colored eyes focused on me as her tail wavered in the air, just begging for me to chase her.

 _"Are you okay?"_ Asami's smooth voice asked. I was a little too focused on getting my shirt back.

 _You want some of this?_ "Yeah. Fine. Your puppy is going bananas though." I bared my teeth and lunged again, only to slide right past her as she scambled away from me with my shirt still firmly between her grinning teeth. "C'mon, give it! You gotta get ready too, you know. For spirit's sake, you still have ocean water all up in your fur!" I'd been about to wash her when Asami's text stopped me.

 _"Sounds like you two are having fun."_ Her voice was filled with mirth, but I read the undertone as her possibly wishing she was here. Like she was _missing_ me. _Heh. Don't kid yourself, Korra._ Even as I thought that, I couldn't stop the next words from coming out of my mouth.

"It would be more fun if _you_ were here, though." I cleared my throat awkwardly when I was greeted with silence. _Whoops._ "I- I- you know, I could use your help with catching Naga so she doesn't rip my clothes up."

 _"Naga. Is that what you named her? I like it."_ Asami said sweetly before turning a little more serious. _"And, Korra. About that-"_

 _Crap! Fix it, you idiot!_ "No! No, i-it's okay. I shouldn't have brought that up. I know you're crazy busy right now and you don't really have time to- for my shenanigans- but you and I both know I can't really control what comes out of my mouth sometimes." Chuckling awkwardly at my sudden word-vomit, I pretended to be nonchalant until I felt it was right and then hurled at the unsuspecting puppy, dropping my phone in the process. "Surrender, Fiend!" I bellowed and she yelped. Instead of running off, she came back to start licking me again, taking me by surprise too. "Ugh! Naga, that's my mouth. Leave me alone and go answer the door."

I rolled away and put my shirt out of the puppy's reach while she went on barking at said door. _Wait, someone's at the door? Micah!_ I shot all the way up before snapping back down to pick my abandoned phone back up. "A-Asami? You still there?" My hair seemed to suddenly be on my bad side as it slid back into my face.

 _"I'm here, Korra. But are you sure you don't want me to call back? You sound a bit overwhelmed."_ That was true, it was the first time I wasn't giving her my full attention and why not? I actually was busy. _And now you sound conceited. No need to shut her out because she shut you down._

"I am." I grit my teeth, trying to shut off my internal battle. "But not too busy for you."

 _"You're so sweet."_ There was a pause. _"So sweet, you don't make this any easier for me."_

"Baby, I'm all about that complicated stuff." I couldn't help but grin as I checked the peek hole, seeing none other than Micah patiently waiting for me to open the door. I did and allowed her in, but motioned that I was on the phone. She gave me a winning smile and busied herself by playing with Naga.

 _"Oh are you? Well, my darling, you'd better spend a little more time preparing."_

"Why? Are you going to blow my socks off, Miss Sato?" I chuckled, feeling my heart flutter at her calling me _darling._

 _"Depends, Miss Nutaaq. Are you wearing socks right now?"_ Her voice dipped and caused a ripple to mess around with my spine.

"Um, no? Who wears socks when you aren't outdoors?" _Me!_ But only when I wanted to slide around on the floor like that one movie.

 _"My, you are something else."_ She managed to chuckle and I swear my knees went weak at the sound.

"Sweetness, you knew that the night we met." I grinned like an idiot. Suddenly, I wanted to see her reaction. I wasn'a smooth talker, but whenever I was around her, I felt it was my mission to get her to laugh or smile. I didn't which it was or if I had to risk my own embarrassement for it. "By the way I read that your body is 65% water and, honey, I'm thirsty."

I got my desired effect. Though, I wasn't expecting Micah to join in on the laughter too.

 _"Korra, Korra. You're too much. What am I going to do with you?"_ Asami managed to gasp out and I imagined her wiping a tear from her gorgeous eyes. My face was on fire, considering that I'd forgotten all about my company, but I figured it was worth it.

 _What can you do? Go out with me!_ "Well you can thank me for making you laugh? That's the best I can think of right now." I admitted sheepishly. Glancing at Micah, I saw her roll her eyes dramatically at me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

 _"What if I said I miss you and Republic City isn't the same without you?"_

"Well, your legs are probably tired, because you've been running through my mind all night." I chuckled. "But seriously, Asami. You're so sweet you put _Hershey's_ out of business and I miss you too." And I did. Like crazy. I had to turn away from my guest, lest she do something to embarrass me.

 _"If I could reach out and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, Korra, I'd hold the sky in the palm of my hand."_ Asami sighed heavily, sounding like she was running a hand through her luscious hair. All the while my heart was melting, though I couldn't help but think: _should I smile because we're friends, or cry because that's all we'll ever be?_

I sucked it up. "Asami, you remind me of a magnet because you sure are attracting me over here."

 _"We're going to be at this all night aren't we?"_ Asami chuckled.

I held in another sigh and decided to let Micah order something instead, seeing as I never got to do any food shopping, so I handed her the take out menu. She waved it off and pulled out her phone, mouthing _pizza_. I nodded and then headed away from her again.

 _"I am the Boss and I say when I work or not."_ She sassed, making me laugh at the uncharacteristic way she said it. _So cute!_

"Oh. _Oh._ Okay, I get it Miss CEO." I hopped up on the counter, still smiling like an idiot. It was amazing how head over heels I was about her and while she wouldn't admit it right away, I had an inkling of a feeling that she at least liked me too.

 _She might not have agreed to date me right away, but I figured that I'd have to tie her shoes myself so she wouldn't fall for anyone else_.

* * *

A/N: Wow! it's been forever since I've written anything so sorry if it's kinda...messed/chopped up.

Still a sucker for those pick up lines though! ^^

 _Aloha kakahiaka= Good morning._

 _ku'uipo= sweetheart._


	6. Missing You Without Admitting

**Discaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Have I told you how adorable you are, Korra?" Micah's firey amber colored eyes gazed at me from across the table while she fully ignored the blissful sounds of the crashing waves behind us.

"Yes." I groaned, trying to hide the blush that found itself on my face. "A lot of times, actually." My eyes eagerly drifted away from my breakfast buddy to the rest of the beach to where I could see a good amount of people lounging around.

"Aren't you supposed to be training, Nutaaq?" A familiar voice sounded from my left. "You know it's a surfing contest, not a drowning one."

"And a _very_ good morning to you too, Tanoai." I drawled haphazardly and turned back to face the woman who landed me here in the first place. Jade eyes narrowed before she smirked at me, crossing her arms agressively. I made sure to beat her to the next sentence. "Acutally, Micah and I were just about to head out."

"Micah?" A dark brow rose in curiousity. "Where's Asami? Thought you two were joined at the hip."

"Republic City. Unlike _us_ , she actually has work to do." I chuckled and then gestured across the table. "And _this_ is Micah Inoue. I met her the first day I took Naga out." Kuvira fixed me with a glare.

"Every single sponsor is here, Korra. It's just supposed to be you and I out there."

"Okay, I got it." I huffed, rolling my eyes while I was at it. _Seriously. I'm just here to have fun._ "Now, if you'll be a dear and watch Naga for me. We'll be out on the surf." I then grinned cheesily at her and pushed the white furball into her arms. Surprise scribbled itself all over her face as my puppy woke up and instantly began squirming, trying to get a few licks in on her newest companion.

"H-hey, I didn't sign up for this! Korra!" Kuvira called after me, but I'd already taken Micah's hand and was currently dragging her away from the distressed woman.

* * *

"Okay, so what exactly do you want me to do?" Micah asked after watching me set my board on the side of the jet ski and then eyed me skeptically while I pulled my surfing shirt over my head.

"Oh yeah, you haven't trained before." I cleared my throat a little self consciously. Of course I wasn't expecting her to hit me either so an unexpected bark of laughter left my mouth when I caught her glaring playfully at me. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Chuckling still, I stepped onto the jet ski and slid back to make room for her. "Do you know how to drive one of these things?"

" _Duh_." Micah giggled before sliding a vest over her torso. After she took hold of the handle bars, she turned back to me to whisper, "hold on tight." And then the beast roared to life, making me lurch forward to clamp my arms around her waist as we took off at the speed of light.

She whooped and hollered all the way out to where the waves were awesome looking and at one point, I feared I would end up doing a backflip since she'd been hitting those waves so hard we were airborn for a few seconds after each. But I'd be lying if I said her ruthless energy and the cold water lapping at my body wasn't refreshing. I almost felt normal again.

"Here's good!" I nearly shouted over the noise of the waves and engine. Micah nodded, slowing the ski down to a halt just as a huge wave rolled by us. My eyes widened in excitement. _Wow._ Adrenaline presented itself and I found myself eagerly awaiting to get out there.

"Now what?" Micah craned her head to look me in the eyes. I let go of her waist and then reached behind me to secure the line.

"Just like water skiing, you're gonna pull me. Get me into some of them waves." I informed, watching her eyebrows raise in amusement. Instead of asking, I simply gave her a lopsided grin and slid the rest of the way off into the water with my board in tow.

"You _have_ to let me try when you're done, _ku'uipo_! It looks fun." She sent me a wink. I let out a laugh, giving her a thumbs up in agreement before grabbing the triangular handle.

"You got it. Now let's go!" I shouted happily.

The ski lunged forward like it had a mind of it's own, pulling the rope taught and I felt all my muscles flex and tighten with the powerful tug as I compensated for not letting my board slip out from under me. (Now _that_ would have been humiliation at it's finest.) Instead of thinking more on how I could make an idiot of myself, I focused on the raging waters ahead.

Micah was leading me directly where I needed to go and as the wave began to grow behind us, she whipped the ski around, out running it until she saw me let the handle go. From there she instantly got out of my way so I could ride that wave.

My heart was soaring, body moving with practiced ease while I left it all out there on the water. I could hear Micah cheering me on somewhere out there, too and it did nothing but boost my confidence. It was just all so exhilirating and I hated that I forgot how much I missed surfing. _This is amazing!_

We went time and time again until Micah shouted. "This is it, Kor! Right there!" I didn't have to look to see what she was talking about. I could feel it building behind me. Before I knew it, I could see right over Micah's head to the water infront of her and with a determined grin, I let go of the handle. The ski veered off to the left as I kept myself upright, dropping straight down and practially sailing along while the rest of the wave chased me. My eyes beheld the foamy mist that came crashing down on the rest of the still rising blue and I also took in the magnificent way the water instantly curled in on itself, forcing more of the water to spill over and eventually outrun me as I swiveled my body to avoid getting crushed.

When the roll finally flattened some, I pumped my fists in the air and then settled on my board. With my legs dangling in the water, I then waved to Micah, who wasted no time in speeding over to me with an ecstatic look on her pretty face.

"Korra, that was AMAZING!" She bellowed jovially and jumped off the ski to practially shove me off my board.

"Wait, wait! Let me have a moment." I tried to hold her at arm's length, but she easily overpowered me and succeeded in knocking me into the water.

I came back up laughing, blindly reaching out to wrap an arm around my board. I hadn't been expecting to end up face to face with her and when I realized it, our noses already bumped together. "Uh, h-hey there." _Whoa!_ My laugh turned awkward as I tried pushed myself back somewhat to get out of her comfort zone.

She only smiled warmly at me and I was sure that curving of her lips was one that would make the gods weep. I'd noticed her beauty before, but seeing it this up close and personal had another blush steadily rising to my face. She had freckles. Those amber colored eyes held a good amount of emotion, yet there was a depth, like anyone could easily get sucked in without warning. I gulped thickly as the motion of the water seemed to be pushing us closer together and when I felt her leg brush mine, I knew I was in trouble.

"Korra." She breathed, reaching up to push my hair behind my ear. My eyes then fell from hers and followed a single bead of water from her nose to her lips. Lips that were a little chapped, but still soft looking and inviting enough to make me want to trace her lower lip with my thumb. Bringing my eyes back up to hers, I was more than a bit shocked to see her leaning in.

 _O-oh no. What am I doing?_ My thoughts were pointless. Joints useless. I was trapped, but I then had to wonder if that was really a bad thing or not. _But- Asami._ Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to find reason within the alluring pull of the pretty girl who's lips had just brushed mine. That fleeting sensation caused my brain to short-circuit momentarily. That meant that my only reaction was to lean forward and search for those lips again. She didn't fail to wrap her fingers around the nape of my neck, pulling me closer still until our fronts pressed together and I found myself shivering when I felt her lips ghosting over the shell of my ear.

" _Psych_." Micah whispered hotly.

 _...What!?_ My eyes instantly sprang open just before she took my arm from around my board and playfully shoved me underwater.

 _Oh. That's dirty!_

* * *

" _Ku'uipo_ , your phone's ringing." When I didn't answer her, she peeked over the couch. "Earth to Korra." She drawled, but I was too busy focusing on the screen infront of me. my fingers moved over the controls easily but as I was coming to the end, I leaned forward in anticipation. _Come on you-_ "It's _Asami_ ~" my eyes widened, my surfer wiped out and I groaned loudly in defeat.

"Micah! I was _this_ close to beating my highscore." I lamented, motioning at the screen. "You don't, I repeat, do _not_ try to cheat me just because-" The words died in my throat when she pressed my phone to my ear.

"I'm not trying to cheat." She giggled. "But I can say that I _will_ beat you now." She pushed me over, but not before scooping Naga from my lap and then settling there when I moved out of the way. When I stood up, I purposefully stepped infront of the TV, only to have a pillow smashed into my face with an impatien grunt. "Get outta the way, Nutaaq!" I stuck my tongue out at her and then proceeded to take the call.

A call that had already been answered.

I almost dropped it as I quickly brought it back up to my ear. "A-Asami?! Hello? Are you there?"

 _"Hey. Did I call at a bad time?"_ Asami's voice was suddenly unsure and I felt like the world's biggest douchebag.

"No, no, no! It's fine. I- _we_ were just playing a surfing game." I stammered out and briskly walked away from the living room to the bedroom.

 _"We?"_ She asked hesitantly. I chewed my lip nervously. _Would she believe me if I said Naga? 'Idiot. Naga can't speak!'_

"Um...yeah. Her name's Micah." I felt my stomach turn a bit. I wondered why I felt so guilty all of a sudden. _It's not like we're dating..._

 _"I see."_ Asami said after another minute. _"Well, I was just calling to say hi and how are you-"_

"Asami." I gently cut her off. "Are you okay? Just Korra and Asami now. Are you okay?" I had to ask because she didn't sound like it whatsoever. There was such a long pause that followed and it left me wondering if she'd hung up on me.

 _"...my dad's in prison."_ She finally said, making my eyes widen in shock.

"What? What happened?" I didn't know what to think. Having spent such a good day out on the water had me feeling a lot lighter, but now? It felt as is the waves just came crashing back down on me. Which only made me shudder to think about what Asami was going through at the moment.

 _"He was making and selling illegal weapons to the Triads. Chief Beifong and Detective Mako came by to investigate a few leads and found a secret warehouse that was built under the estate."_ She took a deep, shaky breath. _"Korra. I don't know what to do."_ She sniffled, causing my heart to tear some.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." I was still chewing on my lip.

 _"No. It's not. How could you possibly think that?"_ Now she sounded a bit more pissed. It caused me to swallow thickly. If I wasn't careful, this could very well blow up in my face.

"I... _don't_ know that." I admitted. But it did feel like the right thing to say.

 _"You know what? It's fine. I'm fine."_ Asami had a scary resolve in her voice and it made me clench my jaw in slight panic.

"Who are you right now?" I found myself asking without thinking. It was true though, the woman I'd fallen for wouldn't have given up so easily. She wouldn't have tried to push me away like she is now. _Or would she?_

Asami didn't answer right away, but when she did, I felt my stomach drop. _"I'm the daughter of an international criminal. I'm breaking news tonight and probably for the rest of my life."_ She chuckled bitterly.

I let out a sigh mixed with a whole slew of emotions I couldn't put a name to. "You don't trust anyone do you?" _Not even me._ My fist clenched on it's own accord.

 _"I trusted my father, but look what happened. Why should I trust anyone else?"_ There was a frustrated exhale and then she spoke again. _"Can I? Can I trust you, Korra?"_

"To do what?" I asked, not really following her. _She had to question ME? 'Well you ARE spending time with another girl'_ Turning away from the mirror I was looking at, I wondered out to the balcony. "I mean...what do you want?" I swear I heard her scoff.

 _"What do I want?"_ She repeated with a breathless chuckle. _"I want the news to stop talking about my father's demise every chance they get. I want to put some of my own designs into production. I...want to keep this company. I want-_ " Another sharp exhale left her. _"I want my mom back. My dad. And I really, really want to see you. That's what I want, Korra."_

I felt tears prick my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. One of us needed to be strong and if she was a little tired, I could try. "...Well do it, my lovely."

 _"Korra, you don't get it."_ Asami nearly snapped. _"I can't. I can't stop the press. I already lost my mom and my dad. I don't think..what if I lose the company? What if..."_ There was an unfinished thought that made my heart clench at is underlying question. _"I do not want the Sato name to go down in history the same way it is right now. I can make mistakes, but I don't want to soil it any more than it has been already."_ She took another shaky breath.

We stayed on the line for a few more silent minutes. I had no idea what to say still. The strong, confident woman I'd met a few weeks ago seemed to be buried somewhere under all that anxiety. That frustration and weariness. What was worse: I couldn't do _anything_ but listen.

 _"Just...tell me what to do. Please."_

My eyes widened in disbelief. _What?_ "You want me to tell you what to do?" I asked blankly.

 _"Yes."_

I couldn't believe her! _How can she possibly think I could do that?_ I inwardly sighed and then straightened my back, setting my jaw. "You know what to do, Asami."

 _"No, Korra. I honestly don't."_ The break was in her voice again and I could only imagine the look of despair on her face. She was lost and needed a guide out of that place. She couldn't go back. Nobody could, but I could remind her.

"Just be the woman I met at the bar." I tried.

 _"...who? Who was she?"_ Asami asked in exasperation.

I let a smile slide over my face as I sat down on one of the chairs out there. "A gorgeous woman who wouldn't think to ask anyone, much less _me_ , what to do."

Again, there was silence and that time, I had to check to see if she really hung up or not. Nope. _"Oh, Korra."_ She sniffled suddenly, voice thick with emotion. _Crap, you made her cry! Good job, Nutaaq._ I was about to start apologizing like crazy when she spoke again. _"Thank you, darling."_

Relief washed over me andI let out a light chuckle. "Hey, what are friends for?" After the words left my mouth, I let my face fall into my hands. My shoulders drooped in defeat as I shot my own self out of the sky. Again.

 _"...Yeah."_ Asami cleared her throat awkwardly, clearly having been thinking about something else. I nibbled on my lip as we fell into silence once again. _How many times can I mess up with this woman?!_

There was only one thing to do now that I'd buried myself enough. "Ah...are you gonna catch the competition tomorrow?"

 _"Is that the Maverick's International?"_ She asked.

"Yes. Yes it is." I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. _She knows more than Bo._

 _"Okay. Of course. I wouldn't miss it, Korra. Besides, I think it would be a good distraction right about now."_ She already sounded a little better and it was more than I could ask for currently. _"Speaking of distraction: I think I've done that enough for you. I wouldn't want Micah to mess up your high score."_ She giggled, causing blood to rush to my face.

"A-Asami, about that-"

 _"It's okay Korra. I understand."_

 _No. No she didn't._ I was about to tell her she was thinking all wrong, but she suddenly yawned, making me click my mouth shut. _"Hey listen. It's late and we both have things to do tomorrow."_

I swallowed what I really wanted to say. It wasn't easy, but I got the feeling that if I tried...I wouldn't get anywhere. We'd be right back where we started. "Okay then." I slowly cleared my throat. "Guess this is goodnight then?"

 _"You're cute."_ Her compliment made me splutter and her laughter after that, made me feel like a moron. I couldn't help but think _why does everyone keep saying that?_ Instead, I groaned when her laughter didn't subside.

"Be careful there, Sato." I playfully growled.

 _"Or what? Whatcha gonna do, Nutaaq?"_ She challenged.

"You'll find out when Naga and I get back."

 _"I look forward to it."_

"You've been warned, sweetheart."

 _"Bring it on, sweetie."_

"Honey dew."

 _"Cupcake."_

"Cherry pie."

 _"Baby doll."_

"Sugar Wooger."

 _"..."_

"Victory is mine!" I declared before bursting into a fit of giggles with the woman of my dreams. _I'll tell her. I'll tell her as soon as I see her._

* * *

 _A/N: I tried to shorten that conversation...heh, it was no use. Hope y'all liked it. One more chapter and then I think it'll actually be done. Yay~_


	7. And the Winner is?

**Disclaimer. I own nothing.**

* * *

 **A/N: Okay...I was** _ **not**_ **expecting this chapter to be soooo flipping long. But it is and 'you gotta deal with it.' ^^ (side note: the closest ocean to me is over a five-hundred miles away, so if it sounds like I have** _ **no**_ **idea about what I'm talking about...I probably don't.) But I can say I've been stung by a jellyfish and have been to none other than North Shore in Hawaii and I'm rambling.**

 **Anyway. Enjoy the rest of the ride and** _ **A hui hou kakou!**_

 _ **Mahalo~**_

* * *

 _"Good morning, everybody!"_ The PA announced from one of the booths . _"Welcome to the Mavericks International Surf Contest here at Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Ember Island. You'll be watching women's surfing history today as these girls take on the deadliest waves in the world."_ Letting my eyes scan the crowd, I could see that Kuvira had unmistakably dragged me into something a lot bigger than I had anticipated. _Unbelievable!_ _"...imagine Leilani Falls dumping into two feet of water over hard-rock lava, with razor sharp reef and underwater caves..."_ I tuned him out for a second when a familiar head of dark hair came into view.

"Hi, _Ku'uipo!_ Are you ready to do this?" She beamed and jumped into my arms, taking Naga's leash after she stepped back.

 _"...gonna be a macking twenty feet. So good luck to all the ladies competing today at the MISC. They may be the best in the world, but they're gonna have their hands full today. If you're going down to watch, it's not a day for a dip in the water..."_

"Are you okay, Korra?" Micah poked my cheek but when I turned to her, I saw Kuvira and Bataar casually making their way to the check in area.

"Y-yeah. It's just-" I blew my bangs out of my face. "I wasn't expecting all of _this_." Gesturing around, I frowned at Micah's smirking face which turned a little more serious when she saw my expression. "I mean, they're looking to put one of us on a magazine!" _Oh, Kuvira is going to get an earful._

"Wait. What are you talking about?" Micah finally seemed to look around, making me rememeber that she hadn't been to an actual competition before.

"Well," I sighed heavily. "The entire surfing community is here. Every sponser, talent scout, pretty much the whole surf media and they're all looking for the next _surf sensation._ " I air-quoted the last two words. What I couldn't understand though, was _how_ Kuvira was able to set us up here. Without so much as an invitation. _Whoo man!_

"Okay, okay. Calm down, _Ku'uipo."_ Micah giggled as her hands came up to cup my face. "Look, I saw how you were on those waves yesterday. You can do this." She leaned in to kiss my cheek and then turned, leading Naga and I to the registration tables. We were about halfway when I suddenly remembered my board and I wasted no time in running back to get it.

When we got to the gazeebo, I placed my board on the rack before turning to one of the ladies there. "Hi. I'm here for the competition."

"Volunteer?" She asked right away. From the looks of it, they definitely needed all the help they could get.

"She's a competitor." Micah spoke up for me.

The lady nodded and began pulled out a sheet of paper from a folder on her table, placing it on a clipboard after. "Okay, you'll need to sign this release form." She handed me a both the board and a pen. I gave her a slightly nervous smile before quickly scanning it over and signing my name on the line. Micah leaned further in, reaching out to steady the small board and then frowned in concern.

" _In case of death or dismemberment?_ " She scoffed, but it made a small grin appear on my face as I handed the form back to the lady.

"Thank you. You'll be in heat three with Suki Omashu." She handed me a shirt and then pointed to another gazeebo. "You can go ahead and wait in the competitors' area."

"Thanks." I nodded at her and lead a still stunned Micah (who had chosen to carry Naga intead) in that direction.

"Good luck!" The other woman called after me, making me raise a hand in acknowledgement.

As we made our way there, I casually looked around the small area, seeing that the whole gazeebo was full of activity. All the ladies there were either talking to one another, or they were busy watching the ones already out there. None of them seemed intimidated. Which I found oddly refreshing. (And they'd been doing this pretty much their whole lives, so my unease was understandable at least.)

"Oh, _wow_." Micah breathed excitedly, suddenly clamping her hand around my arm. "That's Suki Omashu. She kills it at Pipe." I took note of the girl Micah descreetly pointed at. "And there's Ty Lee Young. She's the queen of Back Door- oh my- it's Tuyen Tadachi! She's-"

"Hey, Micah? You're calling a little too much attention to us." I whispered after smiling at the ones who noticed us show up. She immediately stopped her fangirling, but managed to keep her grip on my arm. "I thought you didn't watch competitions." I then added out of curiousity.

"Yeah. Not _live_ anyway. But you bet your toned backside I know all about these titanias." She grinned from ear to ear and then turned back to me. "Thank you for letting me get this close to some of my heroes, Korra." Those amber colored irises looked as bright as the sun and it made me momentarily forget about what I was about to get into.

"Well then, go _meet_ them." I urged with a wide smile of my own and gently extracted Naga from her arms. "You've come this far. Might as well make the best of it, right?" Her response was an even wider smile that lit up the entirety of her face as she gave me another fierce hug and then ditched us altogether.

My eyes then moved over to the restless waves and I couldn't help but wonder just _how_ I'd do. _I Box for a living and yet I'm here. In the biggest surfing competition ever. Surfing!_ A chuckle left my mouth unbidden before I went to take a seat next to the one Micah named Ty Lee. _Oh well. I'm still here to have fun._

"Hi." I greeted when she turned to look at me. "Korra."

"Ty Lee." She grinned at me before her eyes widened a bit more. "Korra Nutaaq? _Avatar_ Korra?!" By then the whole gazeebo turned their attention to us. I felt my face heat up more and more as they all stared at me in shock.

"Uh...yes?" I cleared my throat when my eyes settled on familiar, yet, confused amber eyes.

"Holy cow! You're, like, my hero!" Ty Lee instantly turned all the way around. "That last match of yours was amazing! By far your best and I already have preordered tickets for your next one." She paused for a second and then quickly dug around in her bag for a marker. "Can I get your autograph?"

And just like that, the rest swarmed Naga and I. Micah included.

* * *

"It's a super-clean, west-northwest swell." Bataar Jr. commented breathlessy from my right. While we where here, I decided to let him take care of my puppy until my time out there was up. "Pipe and back door are both open." He added and he was right. Those waves were magnificent!

"Just be patient, Cousin. Don't get too anxious." Desna said from somwhere behind me. "It's four-wave sets with twenty-second intervals, so take your time."

Micah's hand found mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't take the first wave of the set. I think the third wave looks the best."

 _"Here comes Keerah Michaels taking off. Steep drop. She makes the bottom turn. Gets covered up."_ The announcer's voice carried all over the beach as we watched what he was narrating. _"Annd she makes it out!"_

"Whoa, she's fierce." I breathed, not looking away from the woman in the water who pumped her fists in the air triumphantly. At that point, I wasn't even compelled to ask Kuvira about this whole ordeal, considering that I was already here. _We_ were already in it, so why bother?

"Are you going to be okay _Ku'uipo?"_ Micah asked softly after watching me watching them. I turned to her with a lopsided smirk.

"Of course. I'm not here to win anything." Casting a pointed look at Kuvira, I took a deep breath. "I'm here to have fun."

* * *

 _"Up next, from Kyoshi Island, we have Suki Omashu in the green. She's a goofy foot, which favors her at MISC. Loves charging big waves and has taken first place at Teahupoo, another barreling left-hander in Kyoshi. And surfing against her, we have wild card entry: Korra Nutaaq. Yes ladies and gentlmen, Avatar Korra is here in this competition. They start in Five, four, three, two, one!"_ An air horn sounded.

 _This is it._ I blew out a short gust of breath, secured my board under my arm and then began jogging into the water with Suki not too far behind me. Laying out my board, I slid on with ease and instantly began paddling my arms. Instead of cutting the first wave, I pushed my board under water, letting that wave over and then resumed once I hit the surface again.

Suki and I kept paddling. The only sounds were that of the waves breaking and our panting, but I could already feel my adrenaline coursing through my entire body. _Focus, Korra. Don't be hasty._ We'd been informed that there were twenty-minute heats with the top four waves scoring. I knew that the wave selection was critical, so I wasn't looking to pick the wrong wave. I also didn't want to wipe out or get caught inside, otherwise I'd be wasting those twenty minutes fighting through all the ferociousity trying to get back to the line up.

"How's it going?" Suki asked once we settled at said line up.

"Good." I breathed. She said nothing more as the first set came in and I watched her take the lead. The wave came up from under her as she paddled and as qucikly as she could, she was standing. From my point of view, she disappeared, but from the distant cheers of the shore, I could tell that she'd made the drop. And probably nailed it.

No. Water patrol had gone over to help her out of the water, but she was still kicking, so it was a good sign. Closing my eyes for a minute, I took deep, calming breaths until I felt the next set under me. Snapping my eyes open, I leaned forward and began to paddle out. It rose behind me, promising a good run, but for a reason I could not describe, I hesitated.

And missed my shot.

 _Fudge!_ I shoved my hand through my hair. _Okay, get it together Korra. You've done this plenty of times._ Yes. I've done it before, therefore I knew how easy it was to pysch myself out. Especially if it was just _me_ out there. Still, I had to wait until the next set, seeing as Suki had taken the charge again. That time I gasped in shock as that humongous wave completely overpowered and crashed down on her.

If I wasn't sort of freaking out already, seeing her climb up on that sled and them heading back to shore, I could easily see myself being the next one. _No! You can't think like that._ I exhaled and then looked around. "Come on." I said to myself as the next set began coming at me. Setting my jaw, I quickly flattened out on my board and paddled as had as I could. I was going to charge this one.

As the wave grew, I stood up with presicion and set up my rail. My knees bent and I leaned forward to grab onto the side of my board as I made the drop. It was a beautiful wave, but I kept myself low and hung on to my board as the water provided a tunnel around me, closing in behind. _Yes! That's what I'm talking about!_ I inwardly pumped myself up and leisurely reached my other hand out to trace the wall on the other side of me as I sailed on through.

Until I underestimated myself.

Before I knew what was happening, I found myself getting swallowed and promptly knocked from my board. Holding my breath, I allowed myself to be tumbled underwater for a few seconds, but as it calmed some, I tried to move. I couldn't. My foot was caught. Everything around me was blurry and my lungs were already burning, yet I couldn't resurface because of my leash. _Leash!_ My hands frantically tried to reach down to the strap on my ankle when another wave crashed over head, causing my body to move along with it as it passed over. Panic began to build. I couldn't get my joints to respond correctly since the water was joslting me around.

But I couldn't give in. Not yet anyway.

With fierce determination, I summoned all my energy and snapped back with my hands searching for the strap. _Got it._ As soon as I was free, I wasted absolutely no time in swimming back up. I needed air and I needed it soon. Time seemed to slow down a to crawl as I clawed my way to the surface and when I finally broke for air, my vision was blurry. Ears clogged. Still there was air in my lungs again. That was enough until I saw a tweny-foot wave right in front of me again. And just like before, I was back under and getting tossed around by the unforgiving water.

 _I am NOT going to drown out here!_ Was my thought as that wave passed and as I again fought my way to the surface for air. Once I took it, I went back under while the next bout of wave went overhead. It had to be one of the worst beatings I'd taken since I fought a worthy champion the year before named Azula. She had handed my butt back to me much like this ocean was doing at the moment. Again, I came up for air when a heavenly voice also broke through the ringing in my ears.

"Take my hand!"

Blindly reaching out, I successfully caught his hand and he helped me onto the sled behind him. "I got you." He shouted and then proceeded to take me to safety.

* * *

 _"Not that Avatar Korra cares at the moment, but the judges' scores have just come in and they have..."_ The announcer's voice was somewhat clear for a second before everyone rushed over.

"She'll be okay, but give her some space please." The water patrol guy warned as I slowly sat up to cough my lungs out. _Ugh! That was close._ I could hear cameras clicking and the commotion of a ton of people around me. Once my vision cleared more, I found myself looking into distressed amber eyes, but before I could open my mouth to consol her, I was already being lifted up and carried away.

"Put her here." The guy told whoever was carrying me and they placed me on a narrow makeshift bed. "I'm Dr. Mayo." He smiled at me before doing a thorough examination of my body. "Wow, you took _quite_ the beating didn't you?" He asked in amusement.

"I've had my share." I chuckled, wondering what he was doing when I felt his fingers wrap around the back of my head. This thumbs pressed against either side of my cheeks, one lower than the other and he surprised me by jerking my head to the side. A satisfying _pop_ was heard, causing relief all throughout my shoulders and when he did it again on the opposite side, I suddenly felt a _whole_ lot more loose. "Ah..." I breathed out, making him grin at me once more.

"I'm going to put some ice on it." He informed and then proceeded to lift my head so he could place the cloth covered ice pack under me. _Ooomph..._ "Now you just lay there a relax for a minute." Dr. Mayo gave me one last pat on the shoulder and then was out of my sight.

"You're not paralized, are you?" A familiar voice I hadn't heard in a while chimed in a few seconds later. "Because, that's not fun at all."

Turning my head to the side, I let a big smile break across my face. "Hi, Bolin." His lime-green eyes did a once over before he fully stepped into the medical tent.

"When did you get so hot?" He asked smugly, probably having never seen me in a bathing suit before.

"Oh, shut up." I chuckled, feeling my ears begin to burn a little. He laughed too and then came over to sit beside me. "I'm glad you made it."

"Yeah. Opal couldn't stand the thought of watching you on TV. Oh, speaking of- she's off distracting everyone else for the time being, you know, since they said you needed space." His hand came up to brush my bangs out of my eyes. I rolled them at his statement. "In all seriousness, how are you feeling?"

"Never better." I smirked. "At least I won't have bruises to show off soon."

"For what it's worth. That was _incredible_." Bolin beamed. "And I don't know if you heard, but you still got into the next round."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, they gave you a 4.6." He nodded, making me sit all the way up.

"Korra!" My eyes snapped from Bolin to Micah as she rushed into the tent. Her arms surrounded me in a smothering hug just as the others walked in and I was surprised to see Kuvira carrying Naga. "Oh, _ku'uipo._ I was so worried! You're okay right?" She asked with watery eyes.

"I'm fine." I chuckled, placing my hand on the side of her face. "More than fine, did you hear that I got into the next round?"

"I did hear." She smiled. "Congrats."

"I'm sure _Asami_ wishes she could have been here." Bolin cleared his throat loudly, clearly not liking how close Micah and I were. "By the way, did you hear what happened?"

"Yes, Bo. We spoke lastnight." I nodded solemnly, not noticing the surprise in his eyes.

"I have _got_ to meet this Sato woman!" Micah giggled. "With the way you're so completely head over heel for her and the way almost _every_ one brings her up..." She gave me such a smug smile that I had to look away. _Stupid._

"Wait, so there's nothing going on here?" Opal asked from beside Bolin, whose eyes were still colored surprised. I looked at both of them and then around, srunned to see Kuvira, Bataar, Desna, and Eska all awaiting my response.

"No. What kind of girl do you think I am?" Micah and I stated together in such perfect unison that we couldn't help but burst out in laughter. It was true, despite the fact that we almost kissed, but as soon as I came up from her dunking me to find her laughing her head off, I knew I had made a friend for life. Micah was pretty, yes, but my attraction to Asami easily won that over a hundred times. She knew that too and excepted me as only a close friend and nothing more. Nothing less.

* * *

 _"Ty Lee young from the Fire Nation. She's a charger, takes on anything and goes like a man out there. And Avatar Korra, who we now know can take a beating and still be ballsy enough to get back out there. As we start this second heat, let's go!"_

The air horn sounded again, signaling for Ty Lee and I to get back out there. Like before, we jumped on to our boards and swam under the waves instead of burning more energy by cutting through them.

By the time we got to the peak, I spun my body with every intention of taking that first set. I didn't take it though and instead, gave it to Ty Lee. Of course, she wasted no time in charging it. I needed a minute to gather myself lest I go out there and mess up again. _Don't think about it._ I pushed my hair back out of my eyes, scanning the shoreline and then the waves behind me as the next set went by. Letting a smile smear across my lips, I waited for the other girl to join me once more.

She'd already done her second run. _Beast mode!_

"What's the matter, Nutaaq?" She asked, paddling up beside me. "Are you going to catch a wave or you just gonna sit there like a buoy? Because you won't catch a wave sitting way over here in the channel." She gestured around us and then pointed a little further to our left.

"Surfing is _fun_ for me." I stated. "Boxing is my profession and if I end up on that magazine...I can't help but think it would be a slap in the face to people like you and Suki, who've been out here nearly all your lives. Waiting for _this_ exact oppotunity."

"Korra, does it really matter?" Ty Lee chuckled. "You know surfing used to only be reserved for Royalty? And then when it eventually did become popular, _guys_ were the only ones to ever cover a _Billabong_ magazine. Today changes that and who really cares if you're on the cover or not? The fact that any girl could be there-" She shrugged. "It's history in the making, Avatar."

As I thought that over, she playfully nudged my shoulder and flattened out once more. "Hows about you follow me and I'll get you one? Let's give the crowd and your friends something to cheer about. I'm sure they came to see you _surf_ and not let these chances pass you by." Her words struck a deeper nerve, but I didn't have anymore time to dwell on it. "Come on, _Avatar_. Bust a move! Let's get you a wave!"

I shook my head with a grin and started paddling behind her. "Just follow me into the line up. Be ready because I'm going to tell you to go on a wave. When I do, you _have_ to do it. No butt's." She called with authority over her shoulder, making me roll my eyes.

"Aye, aye Cap'n."

And I did. I followed her through a few crashing waves until we got back into the lineup. Just in time for the next set and Ty Lee stopped to sit on her board. "NOW! Paddle, Korra. Go!" She cheered when I did as she said. The wave carried me, lifting me up and letting me know it was almost time to stand. So far Ty Lee was dominating, but that didn't mean that I couldn't give her a run for her money.

As my feet came up to the board, I couldn't help but notice the way my rail was set up. _Sweet Appa, that's beautiful!_ The lines were stacked to the horizon. I could hear the wild chanting from the shoreline, telling me to _go_ too.

I smiled widely and took that opportunity to bend my knees and grab my board again as I made the drop and curved onto the set rail. Again the water formed a perfect collasping tunnel behind me as I smoothed along, keeping the blue sky in my line of vision. For a split second before my eyes flickered to the side to see the liquifyed wall moving alondside me. I then reached out to run my fingers over the seemingly smoothness of the water. _Incredible._

My heart soared in complete bliss and utter acomplishment as I broke out of the mist. Out of the tunnel and I was greeted with the insane roar of the crowd from the shore. Lifting a triumphant fist in the air, I let out my own victory cry that had been boiling since I made the drop. As that wave subsided, I twisted my body in order to turn my board until I was facing a distant Ty Lee. I waved and she returned it with a fist pump of her own.

From there, I flattened out again and made my way back to the shore. As I came in with a smaller wave, the whole gang was there awaiting me and barely gave me enough time to get off my board before they swarmed me.

"Holy crap that was insane!" Micah was the first to get her arms all the way around me, not caring that I was still trying to secure my board under my arm. I awkwardly tried to hug her back, but settled for kissing her cheek.

Next was Opal who squealed in utter delight and kissed my cheek that time. "We're _so_ proud of you, Kor!" She then hugged me too and when I turned, my face got attacked by Naga as Kuvira purposefully held her out to me with a smirk of her own. I laughed put loud and turned when a hand touched my shoulder. Glancing back, I saw Ty Lee.

"Now _that_ was awesome!" She whooped.

"All thanks to you." I smiled back and instantly wrapped my arms around her neck. Her hug was as fierce as her rides and I was _so_ happy to have been out there with her. We parted after that with a high five and I turned back to Kuvira. She leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Just between _us._ I'd say you won." Leaning back she patted my cheek and then turned back to Bataar, who was grinning happily at me. I knew it took a good amount of humility for her to admit and I respected her all the more for it.

Just when I thought I'd have a chance to breathe, strong arms wrapped around me and hoisted me up. I let out an uncharacteristic squeal as Bolin set me on his shoulder and let out an overjoyed shout of praise. Every one who was around us erupted too and a few younger girls cluttered around Bolin and I, asking if they could all have my autograph. I was about to ask Bolin to let me down when a lone figure appeared out of the corner of my eye, causing me to turn.

My heart stopped for a split second.

 _Asami?_

"B-Bo...let me down." I croaked, not taking my eyes off of those brilliantly colored eyes. He hadn't heard me and continued to hold me. "Bo. Let me down." I stated a little more firmly, even patting his head. _She's here. Asami Sato is here!_ Her lips curved into a smile. "Bolin! Let me down!" I shouted and quickly dismounted.

Once my feet touched the sand, I ignored everyone's clamouring and fought my way through the crowed until she came back into view. My feet stumbled, but I thankfully caught myself and all but sprinted over to her.

"Y-you're here." I breathed. When she didn't say anything, I looked around in disbelief. "Or I'm dreaming." My eyes widened. "I could be, considering my scores are perfect tens. That doesn't happen in reality-" A lone finger to my lips cut off my ramblings, making me bring my eyes back to the gorgeous woman who was undoubtedly standing in front of me. Wearing a red bikini top that showed off her goddess-like body and a thin white skirt that reaveled her matching bikini and cute bare toes. Toes that had toenails that were painted the same shade of red as her nails and bikini.

"Hi, Korra." She blinded me with a smile and I was sure that if the stupid seabreeze kept teasing her full luscious hair like that, I would faint. _Dear Aang my knees are already weak!_ I reached out to steady her hair before taking another step forward with every intention of hugging her when I suddenly remembered that I was soaked to the bone.

"U-uh, maybe I should dry off." I chuckled awkwardly, but sighed happily when she pulled me to her in a tight hug regardless.

"I don't mind." She whispered. I then returned her hug with fervor, though I resisted the urge to bury my face in her sweet smelling neck. _No need to scare her off now._

"When'd you get here?" I asked breathlessly when she pulled back.

"I got here in time to see your last run." Her shoulders came up to hug her neck sheepishly. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner."

"Nonsense." I chuckled, nearly pulling her into another hug after that insanely cute display. "Besides, the last heat I wiped out and then the second heat I kinda chickened out." Now it was my turn to be sheepish. "You caught the good one." We smiled at eachother in understanding and she surprised me by reaching out to push my hair behind my ear. So many emotions swam across her face, but what came out of her mouth didn't voice a single one.

"So, where's..." _Micah._ I felt my smile drop a little. "Naga? I haven't seen her since you stole her away." She expertly covered it up and looked to the crowd I'd come out of.

"Uh, well-" I turned too. "The last one that had her was Kuvira..." My eyes scanned everybody and landed on, "Mi- now Micah has her." I cleared my throat.

"Oh." Asami didn't sound too thrilled. Who could blame her? Just then, Micah noticed us looking at her. _Uh oh._ I thought when a huge grin plastered on her face as she suddenly began making her way to us. "She's pretty." Asami's mood switched in the slightest, but I still felt her unease like a punch to the gut.

Seeing Micah through _her_ eyes presented a whole new light to the situation. What with her wearing a navy blue colored bikini, hair tied up in a ponytail that showed off the nice contours of her face and collarbones. Not to mention, those bright eyes of hers and unadulterated killer smile. Even her energy was rolling off in waves around her, like anybody's day would be made just by talking to her. And she and I were like two peas in a pod. _Oh. No wonder everyone got the wrong idea right away._

"Hey!" Micah skipped the rest of the way to us and directed that lethal smile at me first and then to Asami before setting Naga down.

"Micah." I nodded. "Where'd Kuvira go?"

"Oh, she and Bataar have a plane to catch later on tonight, so she dumped Naga into my arms and took off." Micah shrugged. "They send their congrats though."

"I see." I chuckled nervously, but before I could summon the courage to introduce them, Micah took the lead.

"So, are you _the_ Asami?" She asked with full curiousity.

If Asami was shocked, she didn't let on as she steadily held her hand out for Micah to grab. "Pleasure to meet you." She said in her businesswoman voice.

"Micah Inoue." Grasping the proffered hand, she gave it a hearty shake. "Wow, you're gorgeous! No wonder Nutaaq here is crazy about you." She gushed like a fangirl. I felt my face heat up when Asami raised a slightly confused brow.

"E-excuse me?" Asami stammered some and then looked at me. _Well...it's not like I'm not._ I ended up giving her a shy smile with a shrug. At that, Micah looked between us a few times before face palming.

"Please don't tell me you thought _we_ -" She gestured between us,"were together too, did you?" Amber eyes glared at me. "Korra, you need to be upfront about that kind of thing. Especially infront of the one you're smitten with."

"Wait, how is this _my_ fault?" I asked incredulously. "Am I just supposed to go up and say: 'yeah, this is Micah. We're not dating, so don't assume?'" Her response was her own shrug, which I scoffed at and then I turned back to Asami. "Asami, this is Micah. We're not dating. True she's been keeping me company, but nothing more. We're friends."

"Now was that so hard?" Micah giggled. I shot her a warning look that told her to shut it, or else. She obliged and then scooped Naga back up. "Anyway, it was so good to meet you Asami. Hopefully _this_ love-sick woman can get through to you, because she really, really-"

"Alright. Good _bye_ Micah!" I hissed through my teeth and pushed her laughing self away. By then, I felt as red as the slowly setting sun. _Stupid._

If I thought it was awkward before, I wasn't prepared for the newest onslaught that presented itself infront of us when I turned back to face Asami. She was still in shock it seemed.

"...I'm so stupid." She breathed out, chuckling disdainfully at herself. "All this time..." When her eyes came up to meet mine, there was that raw emotion that had captivated me the first time I saw her. Just like then, I felt myself easily getting lost in them, searching for the hidden meaning behind them.

"Avatar Korra? Excuse me." Unfortunantly, some random people drew our attention away from one another. I looked to see cameras and a newer crowed forming.

"Yeah?" I asked in slight annoyance.

"I'm Tatum, from _Billabong._ " She grinned at me. "I'd love to talk to you about being on our team-"

"Hey, wait your turn, honey." The first girl stepped back in and while they began arguing, I barely realized that they were inadvertently leading me away from the only person I wanted to see right then.

Looking back, I could see Asami fighting with herself on something internal, but when her eyes caught mine, they softened a little. Like her inner storm calmed for the briefest moment. I inwardly groaned and gave her the universal sign that stated that I'd be right back to her in a minute. She nodded, though it looked like she was unsure.

"Avatar Korra, can I get your autograph?"

"Look this way please."

"Korra Nutaaq, over here!"

Camera shutters were clicking wildly, people wanted my picture, others wanted a picture _with_ me, sponsors were talking over one another to get my attention and all I could think was; _Didn't I lose?_ There was no way I could have been Ty Lee, yet I was being treated like I did.

"Korra, _wait!"_ A single voice caused my head to jerk back around to see Asami charging forward. Thinking that something was wrong, I quickly turned and fought my way back to her.

"Hey, what's-" Full ruby lips instantly sucked the words right out of my mouth and the crowd gasped before squeals and more camera shutters went off like the fourth of July. To say I was stunned beyond comprehension would have been a major understatement.

She pulled back just as I was starting to get feeling back in my limbs. _S-she just-_ "Korra, I don't know when I started falling for you. But I did. Ever since I first saw you in person in Republic City, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what it would be like to be with you. And then you went and asked me the very question I wanted you to ask, but I pushed you away. Only because I was scared and then realized what an idiot I was until _after_ you left. I know I tortured you enough with making you wait and I know I'm babbling, which is something I've never done before, but if you don't say something soon...or give me a hint of what you're thinking, then I don't-"

"Say it again." I replied instantly, having only heard _one_ meaningful truth that I'd been waiting to hear from her.

Asami let out a breathless chuckle while giving me a skeptical look. "The _whole_ thing?"

"No." I gently shook my head with a lopsided grin and took a step toward her. "The part about you falling for me." My hands trailed up and down her arms in a smooth motion. Her brilliant eyes stayed glued to mine as her own hands came up to cup my face.

"You're always on my mind, Korra. And it doesn't matter how far I've fallen, I'm willing to keep on digging until I reach the other side." She smiled genuinely, causing my breath to catch in my throat. "As long as you're there to meet me."

 _That's it!_ Before I could possibly start crying like a child, I grabbed the back over her neck and finally, _finally_ pulled that gorgeous head of hers down and sealed my mouth over hers. I kissed her fervently and instantly felt the equal amount of passion strike back at me as her hands then slid around my neck, spreading out around my shoulders. Her embrace only tightened when I parted my lips, also making a low noise escape from the back of her throat and I figured I could kiss her forever if she kept those noises up. _Heh, even if she doesn't make them, I can still do this._

" _Ooooh WEE!_ Somebody get a cold glass of water for me!" An obnoxious man shouted from somewhere behind us. Just after, a lot more catcalls, cheers and camera shutters sounded.

Begrudgingly, I decided to pull away, but Asami didn't hesitate to bury her face in my neck with an embarrassed chuckle. I kept my own arms around her until she was finished putting herself back together and when that happened, she pulled back to give me a more PG peck.

"So. I take it, that's a yes?" I grinned moronically at her, fully ignoring the crowd gathered around us once more.

"Yes, Korra." Asami laughed and placed her forehead on mine. "That's a definite yes."


End file.
